The Ishbal War
by Silvery Mist
Summary: They joined the military in hopes of protecting and helping the people. They never thought they would end up killing them instead. Royai and other pairings.
1. Prologue: Nightmares

**A/N: **One of my favourite parts in the FMA manga was when Riza told Ed about the Ishbal War. I really enjoyed reading the history between Roy, Riza, Maes, and other characters and I've always wanted to write a multi-chapter fic which developed the relationships of the characters even more than was shown in the manga.

**Warnings and Disclaimers:** I don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the characters.

* * *

**Prologue: Nightmares**

_Alchemy is for the people, Roy. Make sure you remember that._

_Can I trust my back to your dream, Mr. Mustang?_

_I herby grant you the title "Flame Alchemist"_

_Major Mustang, the Ishbalan insurgents are over there!_

_Ahhhh! My eyes…I can't see!_

_Stay with me! Dammit! Don't you dare die on me!_

_Please, no. Don't hurt my child…Kill me but please spare my child…NOOOOOOO!_

"No!" yelled Roy. Gasping, he looked around. He was alone in his tent. His undershirt, wet from the cold sweat, clung to him.

_It was just a dream…_

Roy ran a shaky hand through his messy hair. It was the fifth time this week he had woken up in the middle of the night. He fell back onto his cot and stared at the tarp above him, the remnants of the dream playing over in his mind.

Shortly after he arrived in Ishbal, the nightmares began. As the annihilation campaign progressed, the nightmares became more gruesome, as if his mind was replaying all the images he had saw but didn't register earlier that day. He had thought that after a few weeks on the battlefield he would adjust to the environment, but every night the nightmares would come, like a punishment for all the sins he had committed that day.

_Why the hell am I still here?_

Roy grunted and rolled over onto his side. He didn't know why, but in addition to the nightmares on the battlefield he had also been having flashbacks of his past in his dreams over the last few nights. More importantly, many of the flashbacks involved a certain blonde girl from his past.

_Riza…where the hell are you?_

He admitted it. He had been thinking about her constantly ever since he had been sent to this hellhole. Though they were never very close during the time he was studying under her father, they seemed to share a deep understanding of each other which strengthened after his teacher died and she shared with him the secrets to flame alchemy.

They had written letters to each other briefly after her father's death but their correspondence stopped shortly before he finished at the academy. He had returned to the Hawkeye residence shortly after he passed the State Alchemy exam to tell her the great news in person but found the house deserted. The neighbors could only tell him that she had packed her bags and left over a year ago. No one knew where she had gone.

Wrapping his blankets closer to him, he recalled the happier times and silently chuckled at the realization that these memories were probably the only thing keeping him relatively sane. Perhaps his desire to see his old friend again was the reason why he thought he saw her a few days ago among the sea of blue and tan uniforms. There had been a girl with short blonde hair standing by the supply crates who, at first glance, looked like Riza. However, when Roy tried to move closer to get a better look, she had already disappeared into the crowd.

Roy smacked his forehead. What was he thinking? The Riza he knew would never be in the military. She was probably somewhere far away making a living for herself, perhaps even married, not out in the middle of the desert killing people. What reason would she have to even be in the military? His mind was simply playing tricks on him and showed him something he wanted to see, that's all.

Sighing, he rolled over and waited for sleep to overtake him. He had another 'mission' in the morning and it'll be in his best interest to be somewhat well-rested for it. As he felt his eyelids slowly droop down, he made a mental note to himself to pay a visit to Dr. Knox in the morning for some sleeping pills.


	2. Reunion

**A/N:**Most of this chapter follows Chapter 58 but I tried to avoid copying dialogue from the chapter as much as possible.

* * *

**Reunion:**

He felt sick to his stomach.

Walking around the collapsed buildings Roy surveyed the scene. He had just ordered his men to search and kill any remaining Ishbalans in the area. While he doubt anybody would still be alive after his flame attacks, they had to make sure. Carefully stepping over the blackened corpses strewn across the ground, he slowly made his way to what used to be a market square. He nearly vomited in his mouth when he saw the burnt corpses of a mother and small child near the remnants of a fountain. Based on the way the corpses were positioned, he knew the woman had vainly tried to shield her child from his attack using her body.

_I'm not just a killer. I'm also a monster._

Turning away from the gruesome scene he noticed an officer running up to him.

"It's all clear here, sir," panted the lieutenant. Roy nodded.

"Good. Tell the men they can head back to the camp then."

"Yes sir."

Roy watched as the young man disappeared behind the rubble before heading off towards the camp. He'd wallow in guilt when he was alone in his tent later. For now he had to appear strong in front of his men.

* * *

Maes Hughes sighed in relief, thanking his guardian angel or whatever divine being was watching over him for surviving yet another confrontation with the enemy. Today had been a close one. He had felt several bullets whiz by him at numerous times yet he was still unscathed with the exception of a few scrapes and bruises after several months on the front lines.

_I'm one lucky bastard._

Old man Comanche had passed by him earlier lying on a stretcher and cursing their enemies at the top of his lungs. Maes chuckled. If the old alchemist still had enough energy to yell like that despite being wounded then he really wasn't as badly hurt as he made it out to be. Still, Maes admitted that he was a little envious of the man. Being wounded meant he would probably be taken off the front lines and returned home. At the moment Maes would almost give anything to return back to Central and be pampered by his girlfriend, Gracia.

_Gracia…_

Maes gently patted the breast pocket of his uniform where he had a photo of his girlfriend close to his heart. They had only been dating for three months before he was sent off to this hellhole but he had known from the moment he had set eyes on her that she was the one. He knew that he had to survive this bloody war for her. Looking around, he wondered just how many other men were in his situation.

His eyes widen in surprised as a raven-haired man walked past him towards the water basin. He knew that person.

"Roy!" he shouted. The man turned around and smiled when he recognized him.

"Hughes! So you're here too," said Roy as he peeled off his soiled gloves.

"It's good to see you again, Roy," exclaimed Maes. "Oh wait. It's 'Major Mustang' now right?"

"Well my rank is equivalent to a Major but I really only have as much authority as a Captain."

"Hah! Then we're the same rank."

"Oh? When did you become Captain?" Roy asked as he splashed some water on his face.

"Just now. Officers are being killed left right and center so if you get even one recommend-" Maes stopped and stared at his friend. "Your eyes…they've changed."

Roy turned away and looked down at his reflection in the water. "So have yours. They're the eyes of a killer."

Maes nodded slightly. "Yeah."

They both stood there in silence, unable to think of what to say next. Maes looked up when he heard his name from a distance. The soldiers he had been sitting next to the fire with earlier were looking at them in awe and whispering amongst themselves. Maes knew they were probably listening in on their conversation.

"Come on," he told Roy. "Let's go somewhere quieter and catch up." Roy nodded and followed his friend towards the edge of the camp.

* * *

Riza peered through her scope, looking for signs of the enemy. From her perch in the watchtower she had the perfect view of the battlefield and the chaos that often erupted several meters below her.

She had been on the front lines for almost two months now as part of her final year on-site training. During that time she had perfected her shooting skills by picking off one Ishbalan after another and thus earning herself a nickname that happened to be the same as her last name. However, instead of taking pride in her accomplishments she was disgusted by herself. Every time her superior praised her for her outstanding kill count she felt sick to her stomach knowing how many lives she had taken. She hated that she was killing civilians along with soldiers. She hated crawling back to her tent each night knowing that she would never be able to atone for the sins she had committed that day. Her only consolation was that every time she brought down an enemy soldier she was protecting a soldier from her side.

Scanning the area in front of her, she noticed two soldiers a hundred feet away walking away from the base camp and out towards an area where there had been a conflict only hours earlier.

_Idiots._

Riza adjusted her scope so she could get a clearer view of the soldiers. One of the men appeared to be Captain Maes Hughes, a man she had met a few weeks ago while they ate their rations by a campfire along with several other soldiers. He was an eccentric man; one minute he would be raving about his girlfriend back home and the next minute he would be completely serious while he talked about the war. Nevertheless, he appeared to be very friendly.

She shifted her attention to the other man. His back was facing her so she couldn't see her face but his tousled black hair looked so much like her father's apprentice: Roy Mustang. Riza shook her head. It couldn't be him. She knew he was here, -the walls of fire were more than enough proof that her father's research was being used on the battlefield- but surely he wouldn't be stupid enough to stray that far away, unarmed, from the camp.

A small movement in the ruins behind the two men caught her attention. Riza quickly focused her attention on a small pile of rubble. Captain Hughes and the other man seemed too absorbed in their conversation to realize that bits of debris had rolled down the pile. Riza held her breath when she saw a tanned hand carrying a ceremonial dagger slowly appear from a hole. She readied her gun.

* * *

"Hughes. I see it in movies and novels all the time," scolded Roy as they walked around the remains of the market square. "Soldiers who rave about their family and loved ones have a high probability of dying in battle so you better shut up right now."

"You haven't changed at all. You still know exactly how to ruin a great mood," snapped Maes as he stared longingly at the letter from Gracia he had received moments earlier, "So what about you? Don't you have a special girl in your life?"

"Nope."

"You're telling me all the stories I heard about the playboy Flame Alchemist are just lies? You disappoint me Roy."

Roy glared at his friend. "You should know better than to believe in rumors. Besides, the only one who would even come close I haven't seen or talk to in over four years."

"Oh? You wouldn't happen to be referring to-"

The sound of moving debris distracted them. Turning around they saw an Ishablan warrior in front of them, a dagger raised high above his head.

Roy snapped his fingers but no flames appeared. He looked down at his right hand and realized it was bare. "Shit!" he swore. The Ishbalan was only a mere few feet from him now, ready to drive his dagger into Roy's heart.

_BLAM!_

Roy stared in shock as the Ishbalan fell sideways onto the ground, a pool of crimson blood quickly forming around his head. "A gunshot!" He quickly turned around, looking for the source of the bullet.

"Everything's fine, Roy," replied Maes as he placed the throwing knife he had pulled out seconds earlier back in his belt. "We have the hawk's eye on our side." He nodded in the direction of the watchtower.

"Hawk's eye?" Roy asked. _It couldn't be._

"Yup," Maes answered as he went to pick up Gracia's letter that he dropped when they were attacked. "She's an ace sharpshooter who's causing quite a stir among my friends. She's just a cadet but she's the best sniper out here."

"Really…Have you met her before?" Roy asked.

"I've seen her a couple of times before but I've never actually talked to her. Cute girl but nowhere near as beautiful as my Gracia," Maes added, kissing his letter intimately.

Roy ignored his friend's displays of affection. "What does she look like?"

"Gracia? Oh, she's gorgeous. Luxurious brown hair and her lips! They're a work of art-"

"The sniper, Hughes. What does the _sniper_ look like?"

"Huh? Oh, umm… she has short blonde hair, pale skin. I've never gotten a good look at her face since she's usually got a hood covering her face but I think her eyes….Hey! Wait a minute. Why are you so interested in this sniper anyway?"

Roy shrugged. "Curiosity. Plus I'll like to thank her for saving us."

"Oh. Well why don't we go look for her after dinner. I'm starving and she'll probably be done her shift by then."

"Alright." _It's probably not her anyway. It's all a coincidence._ He looked up at the watchtower. There was no way she could be out here.

* * *

Riza gasped. She couldn't believe it. It really was him.

She could feel her heart beating faster while she stared at Roy through her scope. He hadn't changed much since the last time she saw him. He looked a little older and thinner but that was expected.

"What happened?" asked a voice behind her suddenly. Riza spun around, rifle poised to shoot. Keith raised his hands. "Hey! Don't shoot!"

"Don't sneak up on me like that," she said flatly as she lowered her rifle.

"Geez, I'm sorry," he mumbled while returning to his spot on the other side of the tower. "I thought you saw some something interesting."

"No, I didn't. I-I just hit my elbow against the wall," she lied. Keith looked at her oddly.

"Whatever," he replied, fidgeting with the settings of his own rifle. "Just try not to point your gun at me again. I honestly thought you had gone crazy and were going to shoot me."

"Wouldn't that be nice. Then both of us can leave this hellhole."

"Yeah, but I prefer not leaving Ishbal in a body bag if you know what I mean." Riza smiled and turned her attention back to the view below. Roy and his friend had already disappeared back into the camp. She sighed and returned back to her original position. Her shift would be over an hour and until then she couldn't get distracted.

* * *

_2 hours later…_

Riza stared into the fire in front of her, watching the flames dance while memories of the day's events occupied her mind. The battle early that day had been extremely bloody. She could still hear the screams of Ishbalan civilians near her post when they were gunned down by military troops and the gruesome views she saw every time right after she pulled the trigger.

And then there were the flames.

Riza bit her lip as she recalled the walls of flames that she saw from the watchtower during the confrontation. Was this really what her father's research was being used for now? He had always taught her that alchemy was to be used to help people yet what she saw the past few weeks was anything but that. What happened to the dream of utopia that she and Roy had shared years ago?

Her hands shook slightly as she took a sip of water from the tin cup she was holding. Did she make a mistake allowing him to view her back and learn her father's secrets? Looking around, she wondered if Roy still held onto that dream or if he had long abandoned it. She also wondered if he would even recognize her whenever they met again and what would his reaction be when he found out she had joined the military. The last thought plagued her ever since she first entered the academy.

Dusk was quickly falling over the area and the cold desert wind was starting to pick up. Shivering slightly, Riza pulled her hood over her head to keep herself warm.

"Hey," shouted a voice. She turned her head and noticed Captain Hughes walking towards her with Roy following behind him. "Thanks for earlier. You were the one who fired that shot right?"

"Yes sir," she answered shyly. She noticed Roy tilting his head slightly, trying to see her face from under her hood. She looked down nervously.

"Your voice sounds familiar," she heard Roy say. "Have we met before?" Riza's eyes widened slightly.

_Well…I supposed this is it. I can't hide from him forever._

Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood up and pulled back her hood. She looked at him straight in the face. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Mustang… Or should I call you Major Mustang now?"

The look on his face was not what she was expecting. Instead of the look of joy at seeing an old friend he looked horrified. Her heart sank.

"Do you remember me?" she asked nervously. Surely he hadn't already completely forgotten about her after four years.

Roy was silent for a second. "How could I forget?" he finally said so softly that she barely heard him. There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

"You two know each other?" Maes asked, shifting his glasses so he could get a closer look at the young sniper.

"Yeah. Hughes, she's my sensei's daughter."

"Oh! So you're the one that Roy used to go-" Roy stomped on Maes's foot. Riza couldn't help but let out a small giggle. "-err that Roy mentioned while we were at the academy together," finished Hughes, flinching slightly at the throbbing pain in his right foot. "I'm Captain Maes Hughes by the way," he added.

"Cadet Riza Hawkeye, sir."

"Hawkeye? So that wasn't just a nickname? Wow. I must say you definitely live up to it."

"Thank you, sir."

"Hughes, could you excuse us?" Roy interrupted.

"Huh? Oh I get it. You two need to catch up. Alright. I'll just be over there in case you need me." He pointed to a group of men sitting at another bonfire several feet away. "Take your time." They watched as Maes strode over and sat down, quickly striking a conversation with a sergeant who was sitting next to him. Riza turned towards Roy.

"You have an interesting friend, Mr. Mustang."

"Tell me about it. He's barely changed since the academy." He looked at her. "Come on," he said, motioning for her to follow him. She nodded. Picking up her rifle, she followed him towards the edge of the camp. When they reached the outskirts he turned around to face her.

"What are you doing here, Riza?" he asked in an almost scolding voice.

Riza looked away from him. She had known this question was coming for a while yet it still caught her unprepared.

"I wanted to help make a difference in the world," she answered softly.

"There's many ways to make a difference in the world! You could've been a doctor or a teacher. What the hell compelled you to become a dog of the military?"

_You_. _You and that damned dream of yours._ "I felt it was the best option available. After all of Father's debts were settled there wasn't much money left for me to pursue a higher education."

"Then why didn't you ask me for help? I told you to ask me if you needed anything!"

"Because I didn't want to be a burden!"

Roy placed his hands on his hips and huffed. Riza watched him as he turned around to look out over the horizon, thinking of what to say next. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned around again.

"Why didn't you tell me, Riza? Why didn't you contact me and tell me you were joining the military?"

"Because you would've tried to stop me."

"If I knew then what I know now I sure as hell would have!"

Riza didn't answer. She could feel tears starting to form in her eyes. This was not the type of reunion she had hoped for. She heard him take a few steps towards her.

"Riza," he said more softly this time. "I've been worried about you. I went back to your house after I passed the State Alchemy exam but you were gone and nobody knew where you were.

Blinking away her tears, she murmured, "You hadn't written to me for months so I thought you'd forgotten about me and moved on."

"I would never do that. I promised Sensei I would look after you."

"It appears you didn't do a good job then, Mr. Mustang." she sniffed.

Roy didn't say anything. Instead, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his arms. Before she knew it, her body was up against his and her face was pressed against his dirty uniform. She stood there, stunned.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you," he murmured. A smile crept across her face as she slowly wrapped her arms around him.

"Me too."


	3. Sins of War

_**A/N:** This chapter gets a little dark in certain parts (according to my fiancé) so if you don't like reading about (references to) torture, you might want to skip the human experimentation parts._

* * *

**Sins of War:**

"_Are you done yet, Mr. Mustang?"_

"_No. It's taking longer than I thought to decipher."_

"_Heh. Maybe you aren't as smart as my father thought."_

"_If you'd stop squirming maybe I wouldn't keep losing my place as much." She looked over her shoulder at him. He was sitting on the edge of her bed with a pencil in his mouth, frowning as he tried to understand one of the phrases on her tattoo. She had to admit, he looked rather cute like that. She watched as he took the pencil out of his mouth and wrote something in the small pad of paper he was holding before looking up at her. "What?" he asked. She quickly turned her head._

"_I'd stop squirming if your hands weren't freezing," she retorted, hoping he couldn't see her blush. "How do you honestly expect to make flames when your fingers are like ice?" Roy didn't respond. Instead, she heard him rummaging for something on the nightstand. A bright flash of light soon followed. Before she could turn her head again to see what he had transmuted she felt something wet and very cold on her lower back. She gasped and scrambled off the bed, her sweater still clutched firmly in front of her chest._

"_Cold enough for you?" Roy asked, chuckling. She glared at him when she realized he was holding a glass full of ice cubes._

"_That's not funny! Maybe you really aren't ready for Father's research," she snapped as she quickly turned around and put her sweater back on._

"_Oh come on Riza. It was a joke."_

"_Funny. I'm not laughing," she replied angrily while marching towards the door._

"_Hey! Where are you going?" he asked, putting down the glass._

"_To the study. There's still a lot of stuff that needs sorting. When you finally decide to grow up then MAYBE I'll let you look at the tattoo again."_

"_B-but…" he began but she slammed the door behind her._

Riza stared at the reflection of her tattoo in the mirror. It had been almost ten years since her Father had written his life's work onto her back yet every time she looked at it she felt like a twelve year old again, looking at the tattoo for the first time.

Even at that young age she knew how important her father's research was and was happy to oblige when he asked her to help protect his work. She supposed that part of the reason she let him tattoo his work onto her back was because she wanted to be useful and craved any attention she could get from her father. As long as she could remember, his research took priority over anything so she rarely got to spend any time with him while she was growing up. He had tried to teach her some alchemy when she was very little but had been disappointed that she never showed any talent in the science.

When her father finally took on an apprentice she admitted she was a little jealous of Roy Mustang at first. She didn't understand why, after so many years, her father finally agreed to take on a student. The two would spend countless hours together in the study, poring over books while she was left on her own. It was almost as though her father preferred him over her and as a result, she remembered being a little hostile towards Roy at the beginning. Of course, the hostility ended when she got to know him better.

Turning away from the mirror, Riza grabbed her bra and uniform that was carefully folded on a crate next to her. While she quickly put on the clothing she heard footsteps stopping outside her tent.

"Riza?" asked a female voice.

"In here, Rebecca," she answered as she put on her jacket. Her best friend's head popped in through the flap a second later.

"Great! You're awake. I was beginning to wonder if I had to drag you out of bed again."

Riza scowled at her. "I don't recall there ever being a first time."

"Ok. So I never actually dragged you out of bed," answered Rebecca as she stepped into the tent. "But I have poked you several times."

"Twice," replied Riza. She picked up her tan trench coat and put it on. "So any word on our missions today?"

Rebecca thought for a moment. "Our shifts are in the afternoon but there's not much going on today. They're still securing the newly acquired areas so there's a few scouting missions but we're not part of that."

"In other words, another typical day in the clock tower or some other nest," Riza sighed. Picking up her wrapped rifle, she looked over to Rebecca and added, "Let's go get some breakfast." Rebecca nodded in agreement and they both stepped out of her tent and into the crowd outside.

* * *

Roy scowled as he watched the sun rise over the horizon. He hated being up so early but when his tent was surrounded by thousands of other soldiers, sleeping in was next to impossible. Taking another large gulp of coffee from his mug, he waited for the caffeine to finally kick in.

"Good morning!" exclaimed Maes suddenly from behind him. Roy watched as his best friend plopped himself next to him.

"Why the hell are you so cheerful today, Hughes?" Roy grunted.

"Oh, no particular reason. I just re-read all of Gracia's letters last night and then had this wonderful dream last night where we were married and-"

"How about you save your love story for after I finish my coffee?"

"I see you haven't changed. Still the night owl you were in the academy eh?"

"I wish it were that. I just couldn't fall asleep last night."

"Have you tried sleeping pills?"

"Yeah," answered Roy before letting a huge yawn. "Unfortunately they don't stop the nightmares that come when I do fall asleep."

"Hmm…that is a problem."

"Yeah. I'm pretty much screwed unless there's some miracle drug that can block nightmares," Roy mumbled while rubbing his eyes. When he opened them again, he noticed Riza and a dark-haired woman walking by them. She turned around and their eyes locked. He saw her give a brief smile and a small wave while her friend looked over in his direction. He smiled and waved back right before she disappeared into the crowd.

"I must say Roy, you sure can pick 'em. She's a beauty though not as beautiful as my Gracia," said Maes. Roy glared at his friend.

"I didn't pick her, Hughes. She's just my teacher's daughter."

Maes waved him off. "Doesn't mean you can't pursue a relationship with her."

"What part of what I just said don't you understand?"

"Your teacher's gone. She's not off-limits anymore. Besides, you're both adults, not hormonal teenagers."

Roy looked away from his friend. "I don't see her in that way. She's just an old friend."

Maes leaned in closer to him. "You say she's just a friend but your body language the past few days say something else. Also, you're blushing." Roy turned around and glared at him.

"You really haven't changed at all. You can still be as annoying as before."

"No," said Maes, turning away to look off to the horizon . "I've changed...a lot. We all have thanks to this war.

"No kidding," mumbled Roy. Draining his mug, he placed it down on the ground next to him and stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Maes, looking up at him.

"I have an appointment with the doctor," Roy answered cryptically. "I'll see you later."

"Umm…ok," replied Maes, somewhat confused, as Roy disappear into the sea of soldiers.

Roy grudgingly made his way past several dilapidated buildings till he reached a large building about two blocks away. Sighing slightly, he slowly made his way up the stairs to the top landing. A middle-aged man in medical scrubs greeted him.

"You're late," grunted Dr. Knox.

"Whatever," mumbled Roy as he pulled out his gloves. "Let's just get this over with."

"Easy for you to say. You just burn 'em and leave. I have to stay and dissect your mess."

"Which is why I don't envy your job," Roy remarked as he slipped on his gloves. "So what's on the agenda?"

Dr. Knox scratched his head. "Beats me. I just got here right before you. We better go though. They're probably waiting for us."

Roy nodded slightly and followed the doctor down the dark hallway and into a dimly lit room. Several men in lab coats were waiting for them.

"Ah Major Mustang, Dr. Knox. We were starting to wonder if you two were going to show," commented the lead researcher.

Roy saluted. "Our apologies, sirs."

The man nodded. "Apology accepted." He looked down at his clipboard. "Alright. Today we're going to study the effects of various degrees of burns on the body." He pointed to a body huddled on the floor. "I want you to start with second-degree burns on his leg and we'll work our way up from there.

Roy felt his stomach churn. The Ishbalan test subject looked no older than fifteen. He was bound and gagged and had a huge gash on his forehead and his left eye was swollen, probably from being beaten by soldiers when they took him prisoner. The boy looked up as he approached him and Roy could see the pain and hatred in the boy's good eye.

_I'm sorry,_ Roy thought as he slowly raised his right hand and snapped.

* * *

"So what's the deal between you and the Flame Alchemist?" asked Rebecca as they walked into the makeshift canteen.

"Hmm? What are you talking about?"

"I saw you with him yesterday and just now he smiled and waved at us."

"Oh it's nothing. We've known each other from way back."

"Really…How come you've never mentioned him before?"

Riza shrugged. "We lost contact not long before I entered the academy. We just happen to see each other again a few days ago."

"Oh."

They both grabbed a bowl and tray and stood in line. Rebecca made a face when she saw what was being served.

"You would think that after seven years they'd have learned how to make decent food by now," she grumbled to Riza.

"By happy you actually have food to eat. There's plenty of other people in this country who are starving," Riza whispered back.

"I swear I'll probably die of food poisoning before I die on the battlefield," Rebecca grimaced as the cook plopped a scoop of gruel into her bowl. Riza hid a smile while she got her food and followed Rebecca outside. They sat down on a bunch of supply crates and began eating, or rather Riza was eating while Rebecca tried to identify the contents in her food.

"I was just thinking…What kind of meat do you think they use in our meals? Beef? Chicken? Dog? Cat? Rat?" asked Rebecca while she watched clumps of gruel fall from her spoon and into the bowl.

"I prefer not to think about it," responded Riza as she took a bite of bread.

Rebecca sighed and scooped up a spoonful of gruel. Riza watched as reluctantly brought the spoon up to her mouth and ate it, making a face when she swallowed.

"Ugh. Tastes like cardboard. What the hell did they put in this? Sawdust?"

Riza grinned while Rebecca quickly took a drink of water to wash out the offending taste. Then, picking up her own bowl, she took a bite. It tasted a little odd but it was edible so she continued eating. Rebecca stared at her.

"How can you eat that?" she asked.

"It helps if you don't think about what you're eating," Riza replied as she took another bite of her bread. "Just keep your mind preoccupied with something else."

Rebecca made another face as she pushed her bowl away and began picking at her bagel They were silent for a few minutes before Rebecca spoke again.

"So does Major Mustang have a girlfriend?"

"Dunno," answered Riza as she continued eating her breakfast. "Why would you care anyway? I thought you were eyeing that young medic we met two weeks ago."

"Already taken. He's got a fiancée back in Central. It's too bad. He would've been a great catch," sniffed Rebecca. Turning towards her friend, she whined, "Rizaaaa…I need to find a man! I don't want to be an old maid!"

"You're only twenty!"

"And turning twenty-one in two months!"

"I don't see why you're complaining. You're also surrounded by men out here."

"Yeah but how many of them are single AND good-looking?"

"You're just being picky."

"No, I'm not," pouted Rebecca. Riza resisted the urge to laugh. She looked like a small child who just got scolded.

"That reminds me. Keith's been asking about you."

"Ugh. He's not my type."

"And you said you weren't picky."

Rebecca stuck her tongue out at her. "You just say that because the guy you like happens to be hot and potentially single."

Riza nearly choked on her gruel. "What?" she coughed. Rebecca grinned.

"I saw the way you looked at Major Mustang earlier. You were smiling at him."

"I smile at plenty of people."

"Not the way you were smiling at him. It was this girly 'I-like-you' smile."

"Girly 'I-like-you-'…You're making this stuff up aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am," Rebecca snickered. "The look on your face was priceless!"

"Very funny," scowled Riza as she put down her bowl and grabbed her drink. Rebecca stopped laughing and leaned in closer.

"But seriously though," she continued, "you think he's hot right?"

Riza stopped and thought about it. He had definitely matured since the time he studied under her father. The cute young boy she had grown up with was gone, replaced by a handsome young man. However, that smirk she always secretly loved was still here. She never understood why but whenever she saw that smirk, her heart always skipped a beat.

"Yes, he is," she answered slowly. The grin on Rebecca's face grew bigger.

"So you like him."

"Never said that. I just said he was good looking."

"Fine, don't admit it, huffed Rebecca as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the crates. They were quiet for a second before Rebecca opened an eye and looked at her.

"So have you two slept together?"

"Rebecca!"

"What?"

"I told you there's nothing going on between us. We just knew each other from when we were kids and just happened to meet again a few days ago."

Rebecca looked at her suspiciously. "You're hiding something."

"No, I'm not."

"Then explain why you're blushing."

"I'm not blushing," protested Riza, turning an even darker shade of red.

Rebecca smirked. "Fine. Don't tell your best friend…yet. But when you do I expect lots and lots of juicy details." She giggled as she dodged a balled up napkin.

"I liked it better when we were discussing your own love life…or lack thereof," retorted Riza as she got up and picked up her tray. Rebecca made a face before following after her.

"My love life is just going through a dry spell."

"A drought might be a better term."

"Hmph. Then what would you call yours?"

"Look. There are a lot of other things that are more important to me at the moment. Being in a relationship is low on my priority list right now."

"Yeah, yeah. Survival is priority at the moment," mumbled Rebecca as they deposited their trays back at the canteen. "Just remember to try to find some time to enjoy life the way it was meant to be enjoyed. Last thing I want is for you to go insane someday from stress," she said, adding "Or lack of sex," under her breath.

Riza shot her a look. "I doubt anybody will be completely sane after the war is over."

"True. But I'd like to hope that I'd leave the battlefield minimally traumatized," replied Rebecca. Riza nodded in agreement as they made their way back to their tents.

"We'll be lucky if we can still lead normal lives after this."

* * *

"Alright. That'll be all for today, Major Mustang. You may leave now."

"Thank you, sir," replied Roy as he watched the lead researcher motion for two of his assistants to move the burnt corpse at his feet. Dr. Knox was already working in another room dissecting the corpse of an earlier victim. Roy quickly made his way out of the room and down the stairs, eager to get some fresh air. Today's experiments had been exceptional gruesome. The researchers seemed to be interested in testing the limits of pain the human body could take. He felt nauseous just remembering how they would order him to burn the victims just enough to not kill them and then watch as the prisoners went into shock before dying on the concrete floor.

Roy burst through the entrance door and staggered into an alley before stopping and vomiting next to a trash bin.

_Shit. I don't know how much more of this I can take,_ Roy thought before another wave of nausea swept over him and he leaned over again and tossed the rest of his breakfast.

"Are you alright?" asked a voice. Roy turned around and saw a middle age man approaching him.

"Doctor Marcoh," Roy muttered, wiping his mouth. "What are you doing here? I thought you were conducting top secret research in Central."

Marcoh didn't answer his question. Instead he glanced up at the building to the top floor before looking back at him. "So they've got you doing human experimentation too?"

Roy sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Yeah. They want to see how much torture they can fucking inflict on a person before killing them." He slid down till he was sitting on the ground. "I was an idiot to think using alchemy in the military would actually help people."

Marcoh sighed and sat down beside him. "We're human weapons, Mustang. Weapons aren't made to help people."

"Heh. No, they're used to kill." He stared at the brick wall opposite from them. "We're fucking monsters with the blood of innocent people on our hands."

Marcoh nodded in agreement. "At this point even our deaths won't atone for the sins we've committed," he sighed.

They were both silent for a moment before Roy spoke again. "So why are you out here anyway?"

"I just came to deliver something."

"What?"

"It's classified."

Roy frowned. "Is it a weapon?"

"I can't answer that. I've said too much already." He stood up and shook the dust off his coat. "I should go. My train leaves in an hour."

Roy saluted. "It's good seeing you, Doctor. Take care." Marcoh saluted back.

"It's good seeing you too, Major Mustang."

Roy watched as Marcoh disappear around the corner before getting up himself. Brushing the dust off his own uniform, he walked out of the quiet alley and made his way back towards the campground. There was someone he needed to talk to and he hoped she wasn't on duty yet.


	4. Birth of a Sniper

**A/N:** So sorry for the very late chapter. I've been very busy the last couple of months (I just got married last month and was sick for a while afterwards) so I wasn't able to write any fanfiction until recently.

* * *

**Birth of a Sniper:**

"_Here." Roy dropped a medium sized wooden box on the dining table. "This is for you."_

_Riza eyed the box suspiciously. "What is it?" she asked._

"_Just open it."_

"_It better not be another one of your pranks," she muttered as she gingerly lifted the lid. Her eyes widen in surprise at the contents and she quickly dropped the lid. It fell back onto the box with a loud thud._

"_What the hell! Why did you give me a gun?"_

"_So you can defend yourself."_

"_You're kidding right?"_

"_No, I'm not." Roy carefully took the revolver out of the case and began loading it. "Sensei asked me to watch over you right before he died but I can't do it if I'm away at the academy. The best I can do for now is teach you how to use this so you can protect yourself." He handed her the weapon and she took it reluctantly. It felt odd and heavy in her hand._

"_This is crazy. You can't possibly expect me to use this to kill someone do you?" Roy looked at her sternly._

"_I expect you to use it for self-defense. There are people in this world who will try to take advantage of a young girl so you need to make sure you know how to use it." He motioned for her to follow him. "Come on. I've set up a target in the backyard."_

Riza carefully dismantled her pistol and placed the components on a large handkerchief in front of her. One of the many things that annoyed her about fighting in the desert was the fact that her firearms constantly required cleaning to make sure they were free of sand or other debris that could jam it. While she didn't mind the actual cleaning (it took her mind off of other, more disturbing things) it was a time consuming task.

She looked at her watch. Her shift started in just under an hour, which should give her enough time to finish cleaning and reassemble the gun. Picking up the gun frame, she began to clean it with a piece of cloth. While she rubbed the dirt off it Roy's words from years ago echoed in her mind.

_So much for using it just for protecting myself_, she thought to herself as she put the now clean frame back on the handkerchief and proceeded to clean another piece.

* * *

Roy smacked himself on the head. _ Which tent is hers?_ he thought as he stared at the sea of identical military-issued tents in front of him. He mentally berated himself for not paying attention when he walked her back to her tent that first night.

_Damn. Maybe I should just wait until I see her again._

Reluctantly, he had just turned around to leave when another person collided into him, causing both of them to fall down.

"Hey! Watch where you're go….Oh, Major Mustang, I'm so sorry about that." Roy looked up. It was Riza's dark-haired friend.

"That's ok," he said sitting up. "Are you alright Cadet…umm…"

"Catalina. Rebecca Catalina. I'm a friend and classmate of Riza's." She quickly got up. "Look, I'm really sorry about running into you. I was just-"

"It's fine. Nothing's broken," he replied, slowly getting up. While he brushed the dust off his coat, he realized something. "Say, do you happen to know which tent is Cadet Hawkeye's?" he asked, waving his hand at the sea of tents. She looked at him incredulously.

"Of course. It's that one," she said, pointing to a tent on his left. "Just look for the most perfectly pitched tent."

Roy grinned at the comment. He should have known. Riza was always a bit of a perfectionist. "Great, thanks. I was hoping to talk to her but I forgot which tent was hers."

"If you want to talk to her you better hurry. Her shift starts at 1500."

Roy nodded. "I will. Thank you, Cadet."

"You're welcome, sir," she saluted before running off.

Grinning, Roy walked over to the tent Rebecca had pointed out and whispered "Riza?"

There was a sound of something being dropped before he heard her voice. "Who is it?"

"It's me. Can I come in?"

There was the sound of more shuffling before she responded again. "Yes." He lifted up the tent flap and walked inside.

The tent was set up similar to his. A small cot sat on one side of the tent while a table with a washbasin and mirror stood on the other side. A small fold-up table sat next to the cot with a kerosene lamp and a few boxes of ammunition resting on it. Riza was kneeling in the middle of the tent, a dirty cloth in hand, with pieces of a handgun lying neatly in front of her.

"Can I help you Mr. Mustang?" she asked.

"I just wanted to talk," he answered, sitting down on the ground across from her. He stared at the disassembled pistol briefly before turning his attention back to her. "What happened to the revolver I gave you?"

"I still have it here."

Roy looked around the tent. "Where?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Oh." They were silent while she finished cleaning. While Roy watched her carefully reassemble the pistol, he couldn't help but think just how skilled she had become with firearms. He grinned as he remembered how awkward she was the first time she held the revolver. It never once crossed his mind that the girl he once taught how to shoot would become one of the military's most prized snipers.

"_OK. Now hold the gun steady." He stood behind her, making sure she was holding the weapon properly._

"_This is ridiculous," Riza muttered under her breath. Roy chose to ignore the comment._

"_Now pull the trigger and be careful of the recoil." She squeezed the trigger and fired. A loud bang erupted from the gun and Riza took a step back, apparently unprepared for the force of the recoil. Roy grinned at the shocked expression on her face before walking over to his makeshift target._

_There was a dent where the bullet grazed the very edge of the target. _

"_Ok. Not bad for your first try," he called over his shoulder. Riza scoffed._

"_I missed the entire target."_

"_Everybody misses the target the first time. You can't expect to be a sharpshooter the first time you pick up a gun," he replied as he walked back towards her. "Anyway, let's see your stance again."_

_Riza rolled her eyes before bringing the handgun back up. Roy walked around her, checking her stance. He placed his hand on her waist and gently nudged her a little to the right._

"_The gun's tilted. Keep it straight in front of you."_

"_It is straight."_

"_No, it isn't," replied Roy. He walked behind her and reached out to place his hands over hers and moved the gun to the proper position. He felt her stiffen slightly._

"_First rule about gun safety: keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot," he said as he gently moved her index finger off the trigger. "It'll prevent you from accidently shooting yourself in the foot or something stupid like that." _

_Riza didn't say anything. As Roy leaned in over her shoulder to get a better view of the target, he noticed a scent of jasmine coming from her hair. It was a rather nice fragrance and it took a fair amount of willpower to ignore the intoxicating scent and focus on the target ahead of them._

"_Alright, you're ready. I'll help hold the gun steady while you pull the trigger, OK?" he murmured into her ear. She nodded. He felt her move her index finger back onto the trigger and squeeze it._

_BLAM!_

_The bullet hit the target, missing the bullseye by only a few inches. He heard Riza gasp before uttering excitedly, "I almost hit the center!"_

"_See? It's not that hard to use."_

_Riza turned her head and smiled at him. Roy grinned back at her. It had been a while since he had seen her this happy. She was actually quite pretty when she smiled and Roy inadvertently found himself getting lost in her eyes. He snapped back to reality when he realized just how close they were. He quickly let go of her and took a step back. _

"_Umm…how about you try a few shots without my help?" he coughed._

_She looked at him, somewhat confused at his sudden actions, before nodding. Lifting up the gun, she aimed at the target again…_

"Mr. Mustang?" a voice broke his train of thought.

"Huh?" Roy asked, looking up. Riza was looking at him.

"You OK?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I was thinking about something."

Riza nodded and went back to cleaning the handgun. While he watched her wipe the barrel with a clean cloth he couldn't help but think it was all his fault. If he had never taught her how to shoot, never told her about his stupidly naïve dreams she wouldn't be in front of him right now getting ready to go out and kill.

"Riza?"

She looked up again.

"Do you regret joining the military?"

"Sometimes. I don't enjoy killing people."

"I'm sorry."

She gave him a confused look. "What for?"

"I'm the reason you're here. If I hadn't told you about my dream…if I hadn't taught you to shoot you wouldn't have joined the military."

She sighed and put down her pistol. "It was my decision to join the military. Like I said a few days ago, I wanted to help make a difference and protect our country. You never actually encouraged me to join."

Roy looked down at the ground. He felt a little better knowing that she didn't blame him but it still bothered him that she was here in the first place.

"Plus I-I had hoped…" she began before stopping.

He looked up at her. "Hoped what?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, blushing slightly. She quickly got up and placed her pistol back in its holster. "I should go. My shift starts soon and I still need to find Rebecca." She picked up her sniper rifle that was lying on her bed and turned to leave but Roy stopped her.

"Riza…" he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Tell me what's wrong."

She looked down at her boots. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing if it's bothering you."

She was silent for a moment. "Mr. Mustang," she finally said. "We both joined the military out of our desire to help protect the future of this country. I entrusted you with my father's research because I believed that it would help create the utopia that we both dreamed of; a world where everyone could live happily. Yet, every time I'm on the battlefield all I see is death and despair." She looked up at him.

"Tell me, Mr. Mustang…Why are we killing the citizens we vowed to protect? Why is alchemy being used to kill when it's supposed to help people?"

Roy looked at her sadly. "I don't know," he murmured. "I ask myself the same question every night."

"Do you still believe that dream can come true?" she asked.

He hesitated. "Yes I do," he finally answered slowly. "Despite everything going on here I still believe that we can make the world a better place. I have to believe it…or else everything will have been for nothing."

Riza looked down but Roy could've sworn he saw a slight smile on her face. They were silent for a moment before she eventually spoke again. "Father would probably be quite upset with us if he was still alive wouldn't he?"

Roy chuckled. "He would've hunted me down and killed me for filling your head with all that nonsense about how the military helped people." Riza smiled.

"Father never liked the military. Especially the State Alchemists."

"Nobody outside the military likes us. To them we're sell-outs who only care about helping ourselves-."

"Which you aren't," interrupted Riza. She looked up at him. "I'm glad. After I saw the flame attacks from the watchtower I was worried that perhaps you had abandoned your dreams but I know now that you haven't."

Roy stared at her, somewhat stunned by her comment. She honestly thought he had given up on helping people? Then again, seeing the type of things he was forced to do here he couldn't blame her for thinking that. "You know me better than that, Riza."

"I know. But war can change people…"

"That's true but my ideals won't change. I promise you that."

Riza smiled softly. "Good…I really should go though. I don't want to be late for my shift."

Roy looked at his pocketwatch. It was almost 3.

"Alright," he replied, giving her a small nudge on her arm. "We'll talk more later." She nodded in agreement and they made their way towards the tent entrance.

* * *

Rebecca stared at her watch. Ten minutes to three. Sighing, she leaned back against a pile of rubble and looked over to where Riza's tent was. She hoped her friend would come out soon. Their supervisor, Colonel Ramsay, was an impatient man who would throw a fit if a soldier would show up just one minute late and she was in no mood to listen to another mindless rant about how a soldier should never be late to the battlefield. Personally it made absolutely no sense to her. What kind of soldier would want to show up early to die on the battlefield?

Peeking out from behind the rocks, she surveyed her surroundings before quickly ducking back down again. Major General Raven was still nearby harassing female soldiers. The old lecher was constantly trying to recruit women to his squad, especially the pretty ones. Rebecca shuddered as she recalled the time she and Nora, another sniper, were assigned to help his men during a raid. General Raven kept looking at them with a lecherous grin on his face and made several unsolicited advances on them during the course of the mission. After that, Rebecca purposely made sure she was never within 50 feet of the old man whenever possible which was why she was currently hiding behind a bunch of rocks.

She had originally intended to go warn Riza when she saw General Raven but when she bumped into Major Mustang and found out he was also going to see her she decided otherwise. Riza had very few friends to begin with and she could tell from the conversation they had during breakfast that the Major was someone dear to her. Not to mention, she wasn't going to ruin her best friend's chances to get laid.

Rebecca chuckled as she recalled the conversation she had earlier with Riza. They had known each other for three years yet Riza had never so much as hint to her that she was acquainted with the Flame Alchemist. The again, if it were her she probably would've wanted to keep it a secret too. There were quite a few girls at the academy and on the front lines who thought the Major was HOT and would have bombarded Riza with questions and requests to meet him if they had known she had grown up with him.

_God…how much longer are they going to take?_

Just as Rebecca was debating whether to go over and get her the flap opening parted and Riza walked out, followed closely by Major Mustang.

_Finally!_

"Hey Riza!" she called, waving her arm. Her friend looked over in her direction and smiled. Rebecca watched as she turned around to say a few words to Mustang before walking towards her.

"About time you showed up," she exclaimed when Riza finally reached her. "I was this close to having to go get you. You know how much Colonel Ramsay hates it when we're late."

"Yeah, sorry. I guess we lost track of time."

"So what were you two doing?" Rebecca asked, giving her friend a small nudge. Riza gave her a confused look.

"We were talking."

"Just talking?"

Riza's eyes narrowed. "Yeah…What did you think we were doing?"

"Oh nothing."

Riza looked at her suspiciously but said nothing. They quickly began walking towards their command station when Rebecca suddenly leaned over and pulled down the collar of her turtleneck.

"What the hell are you doing?" Riza demanded, batting her hand away and instinctively bringing her hands up to her neck.

"Looking for hickies."

"Oh for fuck's sake, give it up already."

Rebecca grinned. It was going to be so much fun teasing her from now on.

* * *

Riza peered through her scope, scanning the area for any signs of danger. Fortunately, most of the area around their "nest" was already secured so she spent most of the afternoon taking turns with Rebecca spotting for enemies while dodging Rebecca's pestering questions about what she and Roy "talked" about. It was getting rather annoying and she wished her friend would just give up and accept the fact that they were just friends and nothing more. There was absolutely no way Roy would ever be interested in her as more than just a friend.

A small movement at the very edge of her scope suddenly caught her attention. Riza quickly shifted her rifle to find the source of the movement.

Two young Ishbalan boys were playing off in the distance, trying to knock down a group of empty cans placed on a stone wall using rocks. Riza couldn't help but smile slightly when she saw one of the boys grin widely when he knocked down one of the cans. With all the carnage here it was actually nice to see some semblance of normalcy. She moved her rifle down a little and noticed a squad of soldiers about a block from the boys.

_This isn't good…_

"I've found something," she called out to Rebecca.

"What? Where?" exclaimed Rebecca while she scanned the area with her spotting scope.

"See that giant rubble pile there? Look over 25 meters to the right. There's two children playing near a wall."

"25 meters…" echoed Rebecca. "Ah! I see them! What the heck are they thinking playing out in the open? That looks like Colonel Gran's squad moving towards them."

Riza didn't say anything. It was moments like this when she hated being a soldier. Killing enemy soldiers was one thing. Killing innocent civilians like women and children were another. She gritted her teeth and adjusted her scope while a voice in her head screamed _This is wrong!_

"What are you doing?" she heard Rebecca ask.

"Following orders. We have an order to shoot at any Ishbalans we see."

"But-" began Rebecca but Riza stopped her.

"They won't stand a chance when the soldiers see them." She looked over to her friend and added. "Trust me on this."

Rebecca gave her a confused look but didn't say anything. Riza carefully lined up her shot and fired.

_BLAM!_

She held her breath as she watched the younger child stagger a few steps back before tripping and falling over. He stared wide-eyed at the newly formed bullet hole on the wall approximately 6 inches from where he had stood only a few seconds before. The older boy quickly ran up to him and grabbed him by the arm, jerking him back onto his feet. The little boy looked, confused, at his companion before realizing exactly what had just happened and quickly followed his friend up an alley.

Riza sighed in relief while she watched the two boys run off in the opposite direction of the approaching squad. Hopefully they would escape the city or at least find a place to hide. Looking over at Rebecca, she noticed her friend had a big smirk on her lips. Riza shrugged.

"I missed."

"Nobody's perfect," replied Rebecca with a smile. "Especially not a cadet." Riza grinned.

"Guess I still need to sharpen my skills some more."

"Hardly. You're already one of the best snipers here. If anything you need to stop sniping so well so the rest of us don't look so bad."

Riza couldn't help but grin even more. "Then let's switch places. You'll need more training if you want to catch up to me."

"Fine. But you didn't have to rub it in," remarked Rebecca. Riza simply smirked as she watched her friend take her place by the ledge before grabbing the spotting scope. As she adjusted the lens she couldn't help but think of all the people who had lost their lives because of her.

"I hate killing," she muttered to herself.

"Hmm? You say something?" asked Rebecca.

Riza shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking out loud." Raising the scope to her face, she attempted to scan the area but her mind was still preoccupied. She sighed in frustration. She couldn't wait for her shift to be over.

* * *

**A/N: **I normally don't solicit for reviews but if you enjoyed this please review. It makes me happy that people like the story and will motivate me to get chapters out faster.


	5. Letters

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update. This chapter ended up being much longer than I originally planned.

**Warning:** Minor spoilers regarding Madame Christmas are in this chapter.

* * *

**Letters:**

"Ugh. What a day," moaned Maes as he dropped his backpack and plopped down in front of the campfire. "Talk about a battle from hell. I really need to get away from this place," Roy looked over at him.

"What happened?" he asked as he poked at the fire with a stick.

"Oh, just the usual issues with egotistical officers. We lost fifteen men today thanks to General Fessler's pride. He refused to pull back even when we were running low on ammunition."

"Today was a tough battle," agreed Roy. "A bomb went off near my squad and I lost four men. Had to send another three to the infirmary and several others suffered from shell shock."

Maes nodded. "Those Ishbalans sure know how to put up a fight. Just one of their warriors is probably equivalent to the strength of ten of our men. They're practically unstoppable."

Roy didn't say anything. Instead, he took a sip of water from his water canister before returning his gaze back to the dancing flames. The memories from the earlier battle were still fresh in his mind. He could still hear the sound of the Ishbalans screaming in pain while their lives slowly ebbed away from them.

"How long do you think this war is going to last, Hughes?"

Maes sighed. "I don't know. They said at the beginning that it was only going to last for a few months but it's been seven years. All I know is that Bradley brought in the State Alchemists so we can end the war once and for all. Based on the rate we've been moving recently though I'd guess another six months."

"Six months…" echoed Roy. "Afterwards comes the clean up and reconstruction."

"Yup. The engineering corps is going to have a lot of work for the next couple of years."

Roy leaned back and sighed. He sincerely hoped that the war wouldn't last much longer. The military had already taken heavy losses in the Ishbalan campaign and with skirmishes also occurring in the western and southern borders he wondered how much longer the military could maintain the manpower needed to finish the job.

The sound of footsteps suddenly broke his train of thought. Roy turned and saw a soldier walking up to them and carrying several packages.

"Captain Hughes!" the man shouted. "I have a package for you."

"Really!" exclaimed Maes before pouncing on the poor officer and snatching one of the parcels. He glanced at the return address. "It's from Gracia!" he shouted before twirling around and hugging it. Roy shook his head in disgust while he watched his friend's outwardly displays of affection. Maes's behavior every time he received a letter from his girlfriend was starting to get on his nerves.

"Major Mustang?" Roy turned his attention back to the soldier. He was holding a thin envelope in front of him. "There's a letter for you too."

"Oh, thanks," Roy murmured before taking the letter. He frowned when he saw who it was from.

_Not again._

Sighing, he slowly turned over the envelope and slid a finger under the flap to open it. While he pulled out its contents he looked back over at Maes who was still standing there kissing his parcel.

"Can you quit that? It's embarrassing just watching you."

Maes turned towards him and scowled. "Somebody's clearly in a sour mood," he snapped before sitting down to rip open the brown packaging. "And here I thought you would be happy for me having found the girl of my dreams."

"You've called every girl you were dating 'the girl of your dreams'."

"Yeah well this time I really did find her," Maes retorted as he pulled out a metal tin and opened it. "Yes! She sent me cookies!"

"Yeah. Whatever. You could at least stop bragging about her to me all the time."

Maes frowned. "Fine. I was going to share my cookies with you so you can see for yourself what a good cook she is but now I won't."

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

"Too late," Maes mocked as he picked up a cookie and bit into it. "Mmmm…Chocolate chip. My favorite!"

"Bastard," mumbled Roy before turning his attention back to his own letter. He unfolded it and began reading the familiar handwriting inside, a look of annoyance clearly etched on his face. He was about halfway through it when he noticed a pair of shadows approaching him. He looked up and found Riza and Rebecca standing in front of him.

"Mind if we join you?" asked Rebecca with a grin.

"Not at all. The more the merrier," answered Maes. He quickly scooted over so the two girls could sit down. Roy couldn't help but stare at Riza as she sat down next to him. She looked exhausted.

"You ok?" he asked her.

"Just a little tired," she replied while she placed her wrapped rifle on the ground next to her. "It's been a long day."

"And bloody. I still feel nauseous just thinking about all I saw today," added Rebecca as she plopped down next to her. " Then again, that 'beef stew' they're serving in the mess hall isn't helping either," she added, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth as she recalled that night's dinner.

Maes chuckled. "Well I've got just the thing that'll make both of you feel better." He removed the lid from the tin and held it out to them. "Cookie?"

Riza and Rebecca both stared at the dessert. "Where did you get those?" asked Rebecca before grabbing one and taking a bite.

"In the mail. My girlfriend baked them and she's an amazing cook."

"God…these are soooo good!" exclaimed Rebecca before quickly finishing the cookie and taking another one Maes offered. Roy couldn't help but smirk at how Rebecca looked like a starved hyena feasting for the first time in days. Shaking his head a little, he went back to reading his letter.

"What are you reading?" asked Riza while she slowly chewed on her own cookie.

"Just a letter from home," he answered, not looking up.

"Oh." She was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "I didn't know you have a brother."

"Huh? I don't have a brother." He looked up at her.

She stared at him, somewhat confused, and pointed at the return address written on the envelope on his lap. "Chris Mustang," she read.

"Oh. That's my foster mother. Her actual name is Christine."

"Foster mother?"

"Well she's actually my aunt. She adopted me after my parents died."

"Oh. So what did she write?"

"Oh, nothing special. Just stuff about how other people are doing and the usual complaining about why I haven't written to her."

"When was the last time you wrote to her?"

"Umm…" Roy paused for a moment to think. "I don't remember. I did call her once right before I got stationed here though."

"What?" exclaimed Riza. "No wonder she's complaining! "She's probably worried sick about you!"

"Hey! I've just been too busy to write. It's not big deal anyway."

"You're supposed to write so she knows you're ok and not dead or injured!"

"As long as a military official doesn't show up at her door with a telegram she knows I'm fine. Besides, remember the old saying 'no news is good news'?"

"That doesn't apply when you're at the front lines!"

Maes grinned as he watched the young blonde sniper berate his best friend. In a way it was rather amusing watching a cadet lecture a major. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that Roy actually let her order him around and couldn't help but wonder if they were like that growing up.

"They bicker like an old married couple don't there?" he asked Rebecca.

"All the time," she quipped as she popped the last bite of cookie into her mouth.

"Alright alright! I'll write one tonight!" yelled Roy while he rubbed his ears. He could've sworn he could hear ringing in his ears.

Riza huffed. "You better." She got up and brushed a few crumbs off her uniform. "I'm gonna go, Rebecca. I'm exhausted." Turning to Maes, she gave a quick salute. "Thanks for the dessert, Captain."

"Hey! Wait for me!" shouted Rebecca while she quickly scrambled onto her feet and grabbed her own rifle. Roy watched the two walk off before looking back at his letter. Shaking his head, he stuffed both the letter and envelope into his coat pocket.

"Sheesh. I don't know why she's all upset over something like this," he muttered to himself.

"Actually, I have to agree with her."

Roy looked up at Maes. "Not you too…"

Maes shrugged. "It's human nature to worry about someone you care about. Sure, no news means you're still alive and kicking but at the same time your own mother deserves better than hoping she never receives one of those dreaded telegrams. It'll probably give her peace of mind to get a letter from you. I know Gracia would probably freak out if I suddenly stopped writing letters to her."

"Seeing that you write to her practically every day I'm not surprised."

"Speaking of that…" Maes rummaged inside his backpack and pulled out a notebook and pencil. "I should probably write one right now." Placing the notebook on top of the cookie tin, he quickly began writing. "My dearest Gracia," he said out loud as he wrote. "Thank you so much for the cookies. I practically wept in joy at receiving something made by your angelic hands…"

_Ugh. Not again, _Roy thought. He quickly got up.

"Every night I wish that you- Hey! Where are you going?" Maes asked.

"Back to my tent. I feel a headache starting. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh ok…" said Maes, somewhat disappointed. "Good night."

Roy slowly made his way through the camp, happy to be spared from having to listen to Maes's love letter. While he was very happy for him for finding 'the girl of his dreams', he wished Maes wouldn't tell him every aspect of his relationship. There were some things that he really didn't want to know about his friend.

As he approached his tent he thought back to what Riza and Maes had said to him earlier. They were probably right. He really should write a letter back home to let them know he was ok. The problem was what to write. He was pretty sure the girls wouldn't want to hear about all the blood and death he saw on a daily basis.

_Damn. This is going to be such a pain to write, _he thought as he slipped inside his tent.

* * *

_She ran up the stairs, her heart pounding in time with her footsteps. She could hear someone yelling and although she couldn't make out the words, she knew something terrible had happened._

"_Please don't let me be too late," Riza whispered to herself. She burst into her father's study and froze at the sight before her._

_Roy was standing in the middle of the room, trying to carry the limp form of her father towards the door. He looked up when he noticed the light from the hallway spilling into the dark room and their eyes locked. "Riza…" he murmured. She simply stared at him, a sense of fear beginning to settle on her._

_She was too late._

_The image of her father and Roy faded and Riza suddenly found herself hiding behind a wall made from rubble while bullets flew above her head. She peered out over the edge and saw a soldier carrying his wounded comrade towards her. _

"_We're outnumbered! We have to retreat!" the man shouted before collapsing under the weight of the soldier on his back._

"_I'm not abandoning this location!" shouted another voice behind her. She turned around and saw two officers arguing. "We've lost too many men capturing this place and I'm not about to give it up!"_

"_Sir! If we stay here we'll all be killed! _

"_Damn those Ishbalans! We fight to the death! That's an order!"_

_Riza tried to tune out the argument between the two men and focused on returning fire. She peered over the wall again to catch sight of the enemy but a bullet hit the wall a few inches from her and she was forced to duck back down._

"_Did you see anything?" yelled the soldier next to her._

"_No!" she shouted back. Just then, her eyes widened in horror as she watched a grenade sail over the wall and land a few feet away from her…_

"Grenade!" Riza screamed. She tried to take cover but her legs got tangled in her blanket, causing her to fall off the cot and onto the hard floor.

"Oww…" she said, rubbing her shoulder. Looking around, she quickly realized that she was in her tent and not on the battlefield.

_Thank God. It was just a dream…_

Riza quickly untangled herself and climbed back into her bed. She could still feel her heart pounding against her ribcage as she pulled the blanket over herself. Closing her eyes, she tried to fall back to sleep but the dream kept playing over in her mind. Finally, after several minutes, she kicked back the blanket and got up.

_I need some air._

She quickly changed in the dark and grabbed her rifle and kit before stepping out of her tent. The cool desert air greeted her, causing her to shiver. She pulled her hood over her head and looked around. The camp was fairly quiet save for the occasional loud snoring of sleeping soldiers and the howl of the wind blowing over the desert. Riza noticed a few random soldiers patrolling the area or huddled around a campfire but decided against joining them. She just wanted to take a short walk before going back to bed.

She turned and began walking aimlessly around the camp. After a while she came across another campfire with a lone man sitting in front it. He looked like he was in deep concentration, scribbling something into a note pad so she decided it was probably best not to bother him. However, as she walked past him he looked up and she found herself staring at a familiar face.

"Mr. Mustang?"

He looked equally surprised to see her. "Riza? It's 1:30am! What are you doing up so late?"

"I had a nightmare and couldn't fall back asleep," she replied, sitting down next to him. "Why are you still up?"

"I couldn't sleep so I figured I would work on that letter I said I would write."

"How's it coming along?"

Roy scratched his head with the back of his pen. "Not good. I'm having trouble figuring out what to write." As he spoke he ripped out the sheet of paper he was writing on, crumpled it, and tossed it into the fire where it quickly turned into ash.

"What do you have so far?"

"Not much," he answered while he wrote something down on a new sheet of paper. "Just a line about how I'm fine and sorry for not writing. I don't want to write in details about what's happening on the front lines. I doubt they'll like to read about all the murders I've committed in the name of war."

"You could write about what you miss from home," suggested Riza. "Or about other things that happen around the camp like people you met or stuff you do when you're not in battle. I know Rebecca likes to complain about the food when she writes to her sister. She's convinced some of the meat they use is road kill."

Roy pondered for a moment. "I guess I could write that…" he finally said before writing down a few more sentences. "As for your friend Rebecca, she seems to complain a lot doesn't she?"

Riza shrugged. "Well most of her complaints are centered around either food or the lack of good-looking eligible men here. And you have to admit, the food here isn't all that great here."

"And the lack of handsome men?"

"Excuse me?"

"You were saying that Rebecca was complaining about the lack of good-looking bachelors. What do you think?" he asked, not looking up from his writing.

"I-I don't know. I never really looked," she stammered. She could feel her cheeks turning red and hoped he wouldn't notice in the dark, "Why do you care anyway?" she asked.

He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. "One of my sisters is asking. It's really stupid. I mean I'm a guy. I don't check out other men."

Riza stifled a laugh while she read the letter. Indeed, at the very bottom was a small postscript asking about the number of hot uniformed men fighting in Ishbal. "Just tell her to volunteer as a nurse so she can see for herself," she said.

Roy grinned. "Good idea. Thanks." He wrote a bit more before putting down his pen and exclaimed, "Done!"

She smiled. "See? It wasn't that hard was it?"

"Only because you were here. I'd probably still be stuck if it weren't for your suggestions," he answered while stuffing the letter into his bag. "I'll find an envelope to mail it tomorrow."

Riza looked down at the letter still in her hands. She couldn't help but feel a little envious of the mail all her friends received. She didn't have any living family that she knew of whom she could write to and she would always feel a pang of sadness every time she watched the mail being delivered and knowing there would be nothing for her.

"You know, you're lucky you have family who care about you and who's worried about you," she told Roy as she handed the letter back to him.

He stared at her. "You still haven't been able to find any of your relatives?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"No I haven't," she answered. "Both my mother and father did a pretty decent job of severing all their family ties. All I was able to find out was that my maternal grandfather was in the military."

"And you haven't tried to contact him?"

She shook her head. "Assuming he's still alive, he probably retired from the military years ago."

"Don't be too sure. There's plenty of old men still hanging around in the military, especially in Central HQ. I'm starting to wonder if some of them are refusing to retire just because they don't want to be stuck at home with a nagging wife."

Riza smiled. "Maybe they just want to help build a better future for our country for as long as they can."

"I doubt it. They just like to sit around telling old war stories and ordering around us younger soldiers to do their dirty work. Total abuse of power."

Riza laughed. "And you're telling me you wouldn't do that if you had the chance?"

Roy grinned. "Well…maybe a little. I will admit I can see myself pushing some of my dreaded paperwork onto a subordinate."

"I feel sorry for your future subordinate then. Knowing you, he'll have to put up with a lot," she replied with a grin.

"Hey! Are you saying I'm going to be a horrible supervisor?"

"Horrible? No. Lazy? Maybe. I've lost count of how many times you got scolded by Father for napping instead of studying."

"I couldn't help it if some of those books were really boring though," he protested. "And Sensei was a real slave driver sometimes. I remember having to stay up all night because he wouldn't let me sleep until I could master a particular transmutation."

"Father was always a little obsessive when it came to alchemy. There were days when he would forget to eat or sleep because he was so engrossed in his research. Even when he was deathly ill he still insisted on working instead of resting in bed."

Roy nodded in agreement. "He was very proud of his research and rightfully so. His flame alchemy is by far one of the most powerful forms of alchemy out there. Sensei was a genius to have created something this powerful and I'm glad I was able to study under him.

She smiled. "I suppose he was," she said softly. Yawning, she looked at her watch. "Shoot! I need to go sleep," she said, quickly getting up. "I got an early shift tomorrow."

"I'll walk you back to your tent," said Roy, getting up as well. She was about to protest but he stopped her. "It's not safe for you to walk alone at night and besides, it's the least I can do in return for you helping me with my letter. "

She smiled. "If you insist but you really don't have to. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can but I'll feel better knowing you're got back ok," he replied as he picked up his own bag. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded and they slowly made their way back towards the other side of the camp.

* * *

_2 weeks later in Central:_

"Mail's here!" shouted Ashley as she came through the door, waving a stack of papers. "And there's one from Roy!" she added, grinning. A collective gasp came from all the girls.

"Really?"

"Finally!"

"Let me see!"

"Girls, behave yourselves!" Madame Christmas scolded while Ashley handed her the letter. The girls immediately fell silent and crowded around her, eager to hear what their 'brother' wrote. Madame Christmas turned the envelope over and ripped the flap open with her manicured nails. She took out a sheet of paper and unfolded it before reading it out loud.

_Dear Madame,_

_I'm sorry for not writing sooner. There's been a lot going on at the battlefield so I've been busy but I'm still alive and well. _

_Life on the front lines is definitely much worse than I had anticipated. I won't go into the gory details (no doubt you probably know all about it from the newspaper and radio) but I will say that everyone will be leaving here scarred. The question is whether it will be physically, mentally, or both. Living conditions at the camps are not that great either. Aside from the bad food and body odor there have also been occasional outbreaks of lice and flu due to so many people living so close together._

_On a happier note, I've found a few old friends here whom I haven't seen in years. Maes, my roommate from when I was at the academy, is now a captain and Riza, Sensei's daughter, is here as part of her on-site training for her final year at the academy. Maes currently has a girlfriend in Central whom he loves to talk about all the time. It gets quite annoying but at the same time it's a distraction from what's going on around us. Riza has become quite proficient in firearms and is quickly becoming one of the military's most prized snipers. She also insisted I write to you right away and is watching me as I write this. _

_Anyway, there isn't much else going on around the camp that's worth mentioning so I'll be ending my letter here. Take care and tell the girls I said hi. Also, tell Sasha that if she wants to see how many good looking soldiers there are here she should volunteer to be a nurse so she can see for herself. _

_Sincerely,_

_Roy Mustang_

Madame Christmas folded the letter and looked up. Her girls were already chattering around her.

"Aww…he doesn't sound very happy in his letter."

"Too bad we can't pay him a visit."

"Maybe we should send him a care package full of his favorite things."

"That's a great idea! Let's do that right now!"

Madame Christmas watched as the girls ran off to make a list of things to put in the care package before looking back down at the letter. She frowned as she re-read it. So Riza Hawkeye was in the military too? She only met the girl once when she first took Roy to see his alchemy teacher but she seemed like a sweet little girl. Hardly one suited for the military. Then again, people change and in a way it was good that Roy had found her. He had been worried about her ever since he went back to his teacher's house to see her and found it empty. Madame Christmas smiled as she recalled how Roy seemed upset for several days after that trip. She wouldn't be surprised if her son secretly had feelings for the girl.

The sound of footsteps broke her train of thought and she looked over to see the girls giggling as they walked over to the bar with a piece of paper and pen. Sitting down on the stools, they continued with their list.

"Ok. So far we have cookies, books, socks, and a flask full of whiskey. Anything else?" asked Vanessa as she tapped the pen against the bar.

"We should throw in one of those dirty magazines for those cold lonely nights," joked Sasha. The other girls giggled while Vanessa wrote it down.

"Add a few things in there for Riza too," Madame Christmas said. The girls looked up at her, surprised at her words. "Her parents died a while back so she doesn't have any family. I think it would be nice for her to receive something in the mail too," she continued.

A chorus of "Aww…" and "Poor thing," erupted amongst the girls. Madam Christmas smiled while she listened to them create a second list full of things like chocolates and perfume "to mask the scent of other people's B.O." As she reached over to grab an ashtray, she made a mental note to herself to pick up a few things at the store to add to the package.

**

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A/N: **Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Thanks to everybody who reviewed the previous chapter. :)


	6. Soldier or Murderer?

**A/N:** This chapter was originally a lot longer but I decided it to split it into two shorter chapters.

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**Soldier or Murderer?**

Roy groaned as he slowly dragged himself into his tent. The scent of burnt flesh from the human experimentations he performed earlier still clung to his uniform, a haunting reminder of the murders he just committed. Kicking off his boots, he flopped onto his cot and buried his face in his pillow.

_Ugh… Please let all this be just another nightmare._

He was just about to drift off to sleep when a voice outside woke him.

"Hey Roy! You in there?"

Roy cursed and covered his head with his pillow.

"What do you want, Hughes?" he mumbled. He heard a swish from the tent flap parting followed by the sound of footsteps.

"I've been looking all over for…. You ok?

"Just had a long day," he answered.

"Well don't get too comfortable. General Blackburn just called a State Alchemist meeting at 1800 hours."

Roy pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it. He still had twenty minutes. Groaning, he pulled the pillow down over his head even more and mumbled, "You're all slave drivers."

Maes didn't say anything. Instead, Roy could hear him walking around the tent, probably looking through his stuff. He was too tired to care though. Not like there was anything interesting here anyway.

"Hmm…what's this?" Roy peeked out from under his pillow and saw Maes crouched over a cardboard box and flipping through a magazine. "Oooh…Dirty sex secrets from Central's hottest women."

_Shit._

"Give me that!" he shouted, scrambling out of bed and reaching for the magazine. However, Maes quickly moved out of his reach.

"Well this certainly explains why you always go back to your tent so early every night," Maes teased, waving the magazine in front of him. "You must have very sweet dreams with this under your pillow."

"If you must know," Roy replied while he tried again to grab it, "It was part of the care package I got from home. I haven't even really had a chance to look inside yet."

"Your family sent this? That's too funny. What are the girls trying to do? Educate you about…" Maes paused and looked at the magazine cover, "Life on top?"

"Very funny," retorted Roy, finally snatching the magazine from Maes's hands. He tossed it back into the box before sitting back down on his cot to put his boots back on. When he looked up again, he saw Maes rummaging through the cardboard box.

"Quit it!" he shouted, grabbing the box. Maes looked at him, a grin starting to form on his lips.

"You're rather protective of that package. Got something in there you don't want me to see?"

"No. I just don't like you snooping in my stuff."

"I was just looking to see what else they sent. Usually people send food like cookies or candy, not lad mags full of scantily clad women."

Roy gave him a dirty look before grabbing something from the box. "Here," he said tossing a package wrapped in tin foil at Maes.

"What is it?"

"Brownies."

"Ooh…" exclaimed Maes while he began unwrapping it.

"You might not want to eat that though."

Maes's hand stopped in mid-air. "Why not?

"Let's just say the girls make the military cooks here look like gourmet chefs."

Maes held up the baked treat to examine it. "It looks normal though…" he mumbled before breaking off a tiny bit and tasting it. Roy nearly burst out laughing when he saw his friend's face turn a bit green before quickly spitting it out. "Ugh! What did they put in this?" he exclaimed while swiftly handing it back to Roy.

Roy grinned. "I warned you," he said while he watched Maes take a huge gulp of water from his canister to wash out the offending taste. "Should've listened to me."

"I'll remember that next time," Maes replied before screwing the lid back on his canister. "Yeesh…that was nasty. It's like they substituted the sugar with salt or something like that."

Roy chuckled as he threw the package back into the box and shoved the box under his bed. Served him right for digging around in his stuff.

"So I hear there's going to be a meteor shower tonight," Maes said suddenly. "It's supposed to be spectacular out here in the desert. You gonna go watch it?"

Roy looked up at him. "I'm debating it. Not like I have anything better to do though."

"Well you do have that dirty magazine to keep you oc-!" Roy threw his pillow at him but Maes caught it before it hit his face.

"You don't know when to shut up do you?"

"Nah. I just like bugging you. It's quite entertaining," Maes answered, tossing the pillow back at him. Roy sighed in defeat and fell back on the cot. He was too tired to think of a smart comeback.

"Don't you have something better to do, Hughes?"

"At the moment? Not really," Maes replied, sitting down next to him. "I was hoping you had a more interesting day than me."

"If you can call burning bodies 'interesting'. I think 'gruesome' or 'sickening' is a better word for it. I still feel sick thinking about it."

"I see…" said Maes. He was silent for a minute. "You know what you need? Some down time."

Roy snorted. "Yeah. Good luck trying to get leave here. We're already short on manpower so they need every man they can get. There's no way the military will let anyone out of this hellhole without a legitimate reason."

"That wasn't quite what I meant. What I meant is you need to do something to take your mind off all this doom and gloom. You know, something…enjoyable."

Roy looked at him suspiciously. There was something in the tone in his friend's voice that he didn't like. "Hughes, if you make one more joke about the magazine I'm gonna-"

"I'm not talking about the magazine. I'm talking about a certain female sniper whom I've seen you spending an awful lot of time with lately."

Roy's eyes widened in surprise and he opened his mouth to protest but Maes stopped him.

"You can't fool me Roy. I've known you for a while and I can tell you right now that you're different when you're with her. You're…happier."

Roy didn't say anything. Was it really that obvious? Now that he thought about it he and Riza really had been spending more time together and he'd admit he did looked forward to seeing her each time. However, there wasn't anything going on between them, at least not yet anyway.

"You sound jealous," he said, sitting up.

"Nah. Couldn't be happier for you. It's nice seeing you finally settling down and Riza's a great girl for y-"

"We're just friends."

"Still?"

"What do you mean 'Still'?"

"You mean you haven't even reached first base yet?"

"Of course not!"

"So what the hell are you two doing that requires constantly sneaking around camp?"

"We aren't sneaking around. We just prefer being able to talk without people eavesdropping on us."

"Aww…geez," exclaimed Maes as he ran his hand through his hair. "And here you had my hopes up. You at least like her right?"

Roy didn't answer. The last thing he wanted was to give his friend more ammunition.

"Well at least you're not denying it. That's the first step."

_Dammit!_

"I'd wish you'll stay out of my personal life, Hughes," he said while pulling out his pocket watch.

"I'm just looking out for you," Maes answered back. "I don't want to see you let a once in a lifetime catch slip away."

"Whatever," Roy mumbled as he checked the time. It read five minutes to six. "Shit!" he cursed. He was going to be late.

"You know, maybe you should go see the meteor shower with…Hey!" shouted Maes as Roy jumped up and almost knocked him over.

"We'll talk later!" he shouted over his shoulder before running out of his tent, leaving a bewildered Maes in his wake. He sprinted down the street, passing numerous battered buildings till he saw one with the green Amestris flag hanging above the door. Two soldiers guarding the entrance saluted him as he ran inside. General Blackburn and two other generals were standing at the far end of the room while all the State Alchemists were at the other end. In between them was a large wooden table with a map spread out on top of it. Roy quickly glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. He'd just barely made it.

"Sirs!" he saluted, panting heavily.

General Blackburn nodded. "Glad you could join us, Major Mustang," he said as Roy quickly took his place next to Basque Gran. Without skipping a beat, the general continued, "Now that everyone is here, we can begin." He nodded to General Raven who stepped forward.

"As you all know," he began, looking at each of the alchemist in the eye, "the Fuhrer ordered the State Alchemists here in order to finish the war quickly. While we commend you for all the work you have done so far the speed at which the operation is moving is not satisfactory. The Fuhrer was expecting Ishbal to be almost completely under military control by now but as you can see we are far from that goal."

"With all due respect, sir," Roy argued. "We've already taken heavy casualties in this war. If we move any faster we'll be needlessly jeopardizing the lives of the soldiers. The Ishbalans have rigged the area with traps and bombs that can easily take out an entire squad if we're not careful."

General Raven simply waved his hand. "Sacrifices have to be made to end this war on time, Mustang. But if you're so concerned about your men then why don't you just use that flame attack of yours to destroy those traps?" Roy gritted his teeth. How could Raven be more concerned with meeting a schedule than the lives of his subordinates? He opened his mouth to protest more but Gran cut him off.

"Sirs, the Ishbalan fighters specialize in guerilla tactics so sending wave after wave of men to the front isn't going to help make the war end any faster. They are also far more familiar with the terrain since this is their homeland so finding them is difficult without exposing ourselves to enemy fire."

General Raven glared at Gran, a slight frown etched on his face. "The Fuhrer wants results, Colonel Gran, not excuses."

"Do you have anything to add, General Sutherland?" General Blackburn asked the white-haired general on his left.

The old man cleared his throat. "Just one thing," he coughed. "The Fuhrer will be arriving here tomorrow to inspect our progress and we're expecting all of you to put in your best effort into this campaign. You state alchemists are called human weapons for a reason. It's time to live up to your name."

General Blackburn nodded in agreement. "A very good point, Sutherland." Looking back at the alchemists, he asked, "Anybody else have any complaints or concerns?"

Nobody said anything.

General Blackburn grinned. "Good. Then you are all dismissed."

"Yes, sir," they saluted in unison before quietly leaving the room. Roy could feel his anger rising as he walked out the building with the rest of the alchemists. Human weapons. Sacrifices. Was that all they were to the higher-ups? Disposable pawns to be used and discarded like garbage whenever they see fit?

"Those bastards!" he yelled once they were out of earshot. "Do they care at all about the soldiers they throw at the enemy? Or are they so blinded by their own arrogance that they don't notice the unnecessary pain and suffering around us?

"Be careful of what you say out loud, Mustang," warned Gran as he walked past him. "Even though we may not agree with their judgment we are still required to follow their orders. You don't want to be labeled a traitor because of your outbursts."

Roy clenched his fists. Gran was right. As a soldier he was obligated to follow his superior's orders without question. And if he refused to fight, the generals or Fuhrer could just as easily replace him with another alchemist who was willing to do their dirty work.

"You need to lighten up, Flame," said a voice behind him. Roy turned his head and saw Kimblee grinning at him. He scowled and turned away but Kimblee kept talking. "Tell you the truth, I don't understand why you're so upset. I'm personally overjoyed with all this. Now I can use my alchemy to destroy to my heart's content."

"Isn't that's what you've been doing all this time?"

Kimblee 's grin got even wider. "What I've done so far is just the prelude to my symphony of destruction. When the time is right, I will show those Ishbalans my magnum opus and it'll be beautiful!" he laughed as he walked past. Roy growled while he watched a few soldiers scramble out of Kimblee's way. There was something about the Crimson Alchemist that really bothered him.

He was about to head back to his tent when he noticed Major Armstrong crouched against the side of a building, his head in his hands. Concerned, he walked over to the man.

"Hey, you ok?"

Armstrong looked up at him and Roy noticed a haunted look in his eyes. "I-I'll be fine," he mumbled before looking back down at the ground. "I-I just need to rest for a minute."

Roy frowned at the obvious lie but said nothing. He turned to walk away but heard Armstrong mumble something.

"This isn't right…all this killing…"

Roy stopped in his tracks. "Killing is never right," he replied. "But it's part of our job as dogs of the military."

Armstrong was silent for a moment. "All I ever wanted was to protect my countrymen," he finally muttered under his breath. "I joined the military so I could follow in the family tradition and proudly serve my country. I never once thought that I would one day question the military's decisions and wish I never joined. He paused for a moment before burying his face in his hands again. "I don't know what to do!" he yelled.

Roy shook his head. "We're at war, Armstrong. We're under orders to suppress the rebellion and like Colonel Gran said, we have to follow their orders. If you don't, you could be court-martialed."

Armstrong didn't answer him. Instead, he let out a loud sob. Roy sighed as he slowly walked away. Nobody, except maybe that bastard Kimblee, enjoyed murdering people but it was one of the jobs that came with this uniform. In order to protect their country's future they had to put aside their emotions and guilt and follow their superiors' orders, even if it meant going against their better judgment. Besides, it was too late to turn back now. Armstrong would have to live with the consequences of his actions, just like everyone else here.

Roy paused for a moment and looked around. The sun was starting to set, which meant that Riza's shift would be over soon. He picked up his pace as he continued his way to his tent. He had promised to meet her when her shift was over and he didn't want to be late.

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**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters and I apologize again for taking so long to update .


	7. Star Light, Star Bright

**A/N:** Once again, apologizes for the late chapter. I had to research a bunch of stuff for this chapter so it took a while to write.**  


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**

**Star Light, Star Bright:**

Riza carefully wrapped her rifle and tied the cloth in place with several pieces of twine. When she was finished, she stood up and took one last look around the room to make sure she had everything. Several spent casings littered the ground near the window where she had spent the last several hours sniping, the metal shells glinting in the light from the setting sun. Riza looked out the window at the sunset and felt a dull ache in her heart. Before the war, she had loved watching the sun slowly disappear behind the horizon but now the crimson sky always reminded her of all the blood that was shed earlier that day. Biting her lip, she picked up her gear and quietly made her way out the building and onto the streets.

As she weaved her way through a sea of soldiers, her stomach gave a loud growl. She blushed and walked a little faster; ignoring the grins from nearby soldiers. It had been hours since she last ate and as much as she hated the food here, a bowl of hot stew sounded really good at the moment. She glanced at her watch. It read quarter to seven. _Perfect,_ she thought to herself. She had just enough time to drop off some of her stuff in her tent before she was supposed to meet Roy to watch the meteor shower. She smiled as she recalled how they used to sneak out to go stargazing when they were younger. It was one of the very few things they actually did together while he was studying under her Father.

As she approached her tent Riza noticed someone standing in front of it, apparently waiting for her. She hesitated, debating for a moment if she should just head off to the mess hall instead. She didn't have time to stop and chat with anyone. Just then, the man turned around and she realized it was just Roy. Giving a sigh of relief, she walked up to him.

"Hey," he said, giving her a small wave.

"Hey," she answered back. "Umm… What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at the mess hall."

"I don't think you'll want to have dinner there tonight."

"Oh? Why?" she asked as she walked inside the tent to deposit her gear. Roy followed in after her.

"I was just there and someone told me that a bunch of soldiers, including half of Harry squad, are sick with food poisoning. Something about the meat probably not being stored properly," he said while he removed his back and began rummaging inside it for something. He pulled out a few cans and handed them to her. "Here. These field rations may not taste good but it's better than going hungry or getting sick."

Riza read the label on one of the cans and made a face. "Canned meat hash? Almost makes me want to take my chances with the kitchen."

Roy grinned. "If you do, don't blame me if you end up praying to the porcelain gods later tonight."

She laughed as she dropped the rations into a canvas bag. "Couldn't you at least use alchemy to turn these into something better tasting?"

"If I could don't you think I would have done that already?" he smirked as he pulled out a small brown parcel from his backpack and handed it to her. "This is also for you."

"What is it?" she asked, examining the parcel. Her name was written on it in an unfamiliar yet beautiful cursive writing.

"I got a care package from home yesterday and my family threw in a few things for you too."

"For me?" Riza echoed, somewhat surprised. "But they don't even know me."

Roy scratched his head. "They haven't met you but they know of you." Riza gave him a confused look. "Ok… I sort of mentioned you and Hughes in my letter and well…I don't really know why they sent you all this stuff. I'm guessing Madame probably had a hand in it."

"Do I even want to know what you wrote about me?" she asked before sitting down on the floor and carefully ripping off the brown wrapping.

Roy shrugged. "Tell you the truth, I don't remember exactly what I wrote. I just remember it wasn't anything embarrassing."

Riza smiled. "It better not be anything embarrassing." She looked inside the parcel and couldn't help but smile when she saw the contents: a small box of chocolates, some beef jerky, a few packets of spices, a tiny vial of perfume, a paperback romance novel, and a small jade charm. She picked up the charm to admire it. It was shaped like a bird with its wings spread out like it was flying.

"I see she gave you one too." Roy commented. She looked up at him, puzzled. He grinned and pulled out his dog tags. Attached to the chain was a small circular jade charm. "In Xing, it's believed that jade protects its wearer from harm and brings them good luck. Madame gave this to me right before I came here and made me swear I would keep it close to me. I personally don't believe in that nonsense but they all made a big fuss about it so I'm stuck with it."

Riza smiled as she carefully added the charm to her own chain. "I think it's a lovely gesture. Please tell them I said thank you."

"Sure," he said while putting his backpack back on. "So, shall we go?" he asked, getting up.

"Give me one second." She threw the jerky and spices into her bag and pushed the rest of the package into a corner so she wouldn't trip on it later. "Ok. I'm ready," she said, slinging the bag onto her back. Roy nodded and they went back outside.

* * *

The sun had finally disappeared below the horizon and as they walked through the camp Riza noticed the stars starting to appear in the clear night sky. She smiled. They could not have asked for a better night for viewing the meteor shower. Looking around, she noticed a few soldiers nearby laying out blankets near their campfire while others simply flopped down on the ground in their uniforms, using their backpacks as makeshift pillows.

"Looks like they're going to watch the shower too," she said, pointing to the men. Roy nodded.

"I'm not surprised. It's supposed to be spectacular show tonight so word's been going around the camp. Let's just hope the Ishbalans won't use this distraction as an opportunity to attack." He stopped for a moment to look around before turning onto a dark street. "This way," he said, motioning for her to follow him.

"So where exactly are we going?" she asked, quickening her pace to keep up with him.

"There's an empty building not far from here. It'll give us a better view of the shower than here. Not to mention it'll be a lot less crowded."

"Oh." Riza wondered what he meant by "better view" while she followed him down the street. The sky looked the same regardless where they were in her opinion. She was tempted to ask him about it but at the same time she didn't want him to change his mind and go back. She preferred being able to talk to him without worrying about people eavesdropping. Especially when their conversation turned to talk about her father and alchemy.

They walked for a while before Roy finally stopped in front of a tall building at the end of the street. Grinning, he looked over to her and said, "Here we are." Riza stared at the decrepit building. The face of the three-story building was pitted with bullet holes and there was a large hole in one of the walls where she figured an artillery shell had probably landed. _He's kidding right? _she thought while she followed him inside and up the rickety wooden stairs to the top floor.

The interior of the place didn't look much better. Chunks of rubble were strewn about and there were dried bloodstains on the walls and floor. She carefully walked over to the window and looked out. The stars were all out and she could see a few meteorites streak by but several buildings nearby obstructed much of the view. It was hardly the spectacular view Roy had promised.

She turned around to ask him if he was playing a joke on her but noticed he was drawing a transmutation circle on the wall with a piece of chalk. When he was done, he placed his hand on it and activated it. A ladder quickly formed in front of them. "After you," he said, getting up and motioning for her to go first.

Riza grabbed a rung and climbed up the ladder to the roof of the building. When she reached the top she stood in awe at the sight above her. The stars twinkled brightly while meteor after meteor streaked across the night sky like fireworks.

"Well? What do you think?" She turned around and saw Roy climbing up onto the roof.

"It's amazing!" she answered. "It's even better than the ones we saw years ago."

He grinned. "Told you it was going to be a spectacular show," he said while he searched his backpack for his field rations. She sat down beside him and pulled out her own food. They quickly ate their dinner and when they were finished they proceeded to lie down on the hard roof to watch the shower.

Riza smiled softly to herself as she watched the show above her. It almost felt like she was a child again seeing her first shooting star. For a moment, the memories of sand, war, and death were erased and she was back in her hometown lying on the grass in her backyard. It felt so calming.

A loud grunt next to her brought her back to reality. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"Just trying to get comfortable," mumbled Roy. "Limestone isn't exactly the most comfortable thing to be lying on."

"I have a blanket in my bag that you can use. Want it?"

"No, I'll be ok. I just have something digging into my back." He turned over and swept his sleeve across the ground, sending bits of rocks flying across the roof before lying back down. "Ahh…much better."

Riza grinned before turning her attention back to the sky. An especially bright meteor streaked by at the moment so she closed her eyes and made a wish.

"Tired?" Roy asked.

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes and looked over at him. "Oh no. I was just making a wish. You know how they say if you wish upon a shooting star it'll come true."

Roy chuckled. "That's just a silly superstition dating back to the days when people thought everything revolved around the earth and that the stars were embedded in a crystal outer sphere. They believed that their gods would occasionally watch them and when they did the stars would become dislodge and fall down to earth, alerting people that the gods were watching and that it was a good time to ask for favors."

Riza glared at him, somewhat annoyed. "Thanks for ruining it," she said sarcastically.

"Oh come on. You didn't seriously believe that stuff did you?"

"Well no…but it doesn't hurt to try."

He laughed. "So what did you wish for?"

She blushed. "You're not supposed to tell anyone what you wished or else it won't come true."

"Must be one heck of a wish if you want it to come true that badly."

"Maybe it is."

Roy grinned. "Humor me a little. How many of your wishes have come true?"

Riza paused. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't even remember some of the things she wished for in the past. "I'm not sure," she answered slowly. "I actually don't remember some of them."

"How about the ones you do remember?"

She thought about it for a moment. She remembered wishing for a particular doll when she was six, which never materialized. There was also the time she wished for her mother to recover from her illness when she was eight. That one definitely didn't come true though her mother did feel a little better in the days after she made her wish. However, there were also a few times where they did come true like finding her lost ring and passing an exam she was certain she failed.

"It's about 50-50 I guess," she finally said.

"Really…I was expecting something lower."

"Don't wish for something impossible and the odds of it coming true go up," she answered while she absentmindedly fidgeted with the charm on her chain.

"So wishing that this war will be over next week is out of the question."

"Definitely not now since you just said it out loud."

"Damn…good point."

Riza smiled as she stared up at the sky again. She really missed looking up at the stars, trying to find constellations or just enjoying the view in general. Everything felt so relaxing and comfortable. Just like in the past. She was really glad Roy suggested it. With all the chaos of war around them, it was comforting to look up and know that some things were still the same.

After a while she heard a light snoring beside her. Turning her head to the direction of the noise, she saw Roy fast asleep. She smiled and turned over onto her side towards him. He looked so peaceful lying there. She noticed the dark circles under his eyes, betraying the fact that he hadn't been getting enough sleep; but despite it, he was still extremely handsome. It was obvious why so many girls at the academy were crazy over him. She felt a small pang of jealousy at the thought but quickly dismissed it. Now was not the time to let her emotions get the better of her. Besides, she shouldn't get her hopes up that he might actually share her feelings. It would only lead to heartache, just like last time.

_Though…_ she thought as she looked up at the sky_, it would never hurt to wish…_

The sudden sound of gunfire broke her from her train of thoughts. She fell flat onto the floor and listened, her heart pounding but relaxed when she realized where the noise was coming from. The rapid gunfire was most likely from a group of soldiers conducting a raid several blocks away. When the noise stopped she sat up and looked back over at Roy. He was still sleeping. She shook her head._ Incredible. He was able to sleep through that? He must be exhausted! _While part of her wanted to let him rest a little longer, she realized it probably wasn't safe for them to spend the entire night there.

"Mr. Mustang?" she whispered nudging him slightly. Roy jerked awake.

"Huh? Oh sorry. I guess I fell asleep," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I haven't been sleeping well lately." She smiled.

"It's alright. But we really should be heading back to the camp. I have an early shift tomorrow and I need to clean my rifle before I retire for the night." She got up and began packing her stuff. "And you need to get some sleep."

He yawned. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He got up and stretched. "Ugh…my back hurts," he grumbled while he picked up his backpack.

"That should be expected. You were just lying on the hard ground after all."

"I know. Doesn't mean I can't complain though," he groaned again as he slung his bag over one shoulder. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded and they made their way down the ladder and back onto the streets.

* * *

Many of the soldiers had already retired for the night by the time they arrived back at the camp. The rest were too busy still watching the meteor shower to acknowledge their presence. Riza didn't mind though. She always found it a little awkward having to stop and make small talk with random soldiers she didn't know and probably would never see again. She supposed it was one of the after-effects of being sheltered by her father all those years. He was always extremely focused on his research and hated wasting his time with useless conversations that had no bearing on his work. As a result, she was forbidden from attending any of their town's social activities and had few friends while she was growing up.

They quietly walked to her tent, careful to not trip over any random debris that lay strewn around the camp and waking up her neighbors. When they reached it, she turned around to say goodnight. "Well…good night, Major Mustang. I had an enjoyable time tonight," she murmured. She turned and was about to head into her tent but he stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned back and found herself staring into his dark eyes. Time seemed to stand still as he gently cupped her face and kissed her on the cheek. She could feel herself immediately blushing.

"Good night, Cadet," he whispered before pulling away. He turned around and walked away, leaving her standing there, stunned.


	8. The Calm Before the Storm

**A/N:** This chapter takes place during Chapter 60 in the manga. Enjoy!

**

* * *

The Calm Before the Storm: **

Roy walked out of his tent, smiling as the warm sun greeted his face. He had slept really well the previous night and was feeling quite refreshed. For the first time since arriving on the battlefield he was able to sleep through the night without any nightmares haunting his dreams. Humming to himself, he made his way through the camp to find Maes and breakfast.

"Good morning!" greeted a voice behind him. He turned around and saw his best friend. He grinned.

"Good morning," he replied back.

"Well you're in an awfully good mood today," said Maes, giving him a light slap on the back. "Didn't realize the magazine was that uplifting. Think I could borrow it?"

The smile quickly left Roy's face. "Hughes…" he warned. Maes simply laughed.

"I'm just kidding." Leaning in closer, he whispered, "I saw you and Riza sneaking off last night so I know the real reason."

Roy frowned. "We didn't do anything like that so you can get your mind out of the gutter." Maes pouted.

"Then why the hell are you grinning? If it wasn't the magazine and you haven't even gotten to first base with a pretty blonde then what's there to be so cheerful about?"

Roy opened his mouth to respond but then memories of the previous night came flooding back. He had kissed Riza Hawkeye! He had actually kissed the girl whom he secretly had feelings for. Kissed her on the cheek that is so it still technically didn't count as first base.

"I just woke up feeling pretty good after a good night's sleep. That's all."

"Hmph. I never knew it took that little to get you that happy. At least now I know to get you a bottle of sleeping pills instead of alcohol or magazines for your birthday."

Roy grinned at the remark. Maes had never gotten him anything for his birthday in the past and he sincerely doubt he would start now of all places. There weren't exactly any stores out here on the battlefield for him to purchase a gift for starters. And in the past they used to just head to the bars to celebrate till they were both wasted.

His mind soon drifted back to the previous night. He honestly didn't know what compelled him to kiss Riza. He must've been caught up in the moment. He recalled that she looked so beautiful standing there in the moonlight and that something must have overcame him, causing him to act on an impulse. At least he restrained himself and didn't kiss her on the lips. He could at least claim that kissing on the cheek was a common custom among close friends in some cultures.

"So how did the meeting go yesterday?" asked Maes.

"The usual," Roy answered. "The brass isn't happy with the progress we're making out here. They want faster results even if it means more casualties."

"That's crazy! We're already taking heavy casualties and a lot of times we don't even have enough artillery to finish the battle! If they want faster results they need to at least make sure we have enough supplies to finish the job!"

"Yeah well maybe you can tell the Fuhrer himself when he comes for a visit."

Maes stopped in his tracks. "The Fuhrer's coming here?"

"Yeah. He's probably already here for all we know. General Sutherland said he would be arriving today to inspect our progress."

Maes let out a sigh. "Great. It's going to get even more chaotic here soon."

Roy nodded in agreement. "You better enjoy what little peace is left while you still can." Patting his friend on the back, he added, "Come on. Let's go get some breakfast."

* * *

"So Keith came up to me last night during dinner and tried to strike up a conversation by asking me to go watch the meteor shower with him," rambled Rebecca as they walked around. "Can you believe the guy? As if I would go off at night to some mysterious location with him. That's just asking for trouble."

Riza nodded absentmindedly, barely listening to her friend. Instead, her mind was preoccupied with what had happened the previous night. Roy Mustang, her father's apprentice and the man whom she had a crush on ever since she was a teenager had kissed her! She didn't know what to make of it. She knew they were close and that he was rather protective of her but that was probably due to his promise to her father to look after her. Reaching up to touch her cheek, she blushed as she remembered how warm his breath felt on her skin and how his kiss seemed to burn on her cheek long after he had left. She had replayed that moment over and over again in her mind while she was in bed, analyzing it to see if she could figure out his intentions to no avail. She was so confused. They had known each other for a long time and he had never done something like that before.

_Maybe he actually likes you…_

She quickly pushed the thought out of her head.

Impossible! There was no way he had feelings for her. She was just letting her imagination run away from her. The Major had never so much as hinted that he saw her as anything but a friend. Besides, she was certain he had plenty of pretty girls vying for his attention back home and there was no way she could compete with that.

"Hello? Earth to Riza!" Rebecca said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Huh…What?" she blinked.

"Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Sure. Something about Keith asking you out and you rejecting him."

Rebecca looked at her, unconvinced that she had actually heard her before finally turning away. "By the way, where were you last night anyway?

"I was out watching the meteor shower."

"Where? I looked all over the camp and couldn't find you."

"Major Mustang and I went to the roof of one of the empty buildings east of here in Sector 3."

Rebecca's jaw dropped. "You two went all the way out there? Riza, what were you thinking?"

"Keep your voice down! There's other soldiers around," Riza hissed. A few soldiers nearby were already looking in their direction, wondering what the commotion was.

"Oh sorry," Rebecca apologized before leaning in closer so the other soldiers couldn't eavesdrop. "But seriously, what were you thinking going all the way out there? You know it's not safe for us women to go off at night without telling anyone where you're going."

"I wasn't exactly alone…"

"You were alone with a guy which could be risky. I mean what if he took advantage of you?"

Riza stared at her friend in disbelief. Did she honestly just ask that? "I trust him," she said firmly. "We've known each other for a long time and I know he would never do something like that." _Besides, if he really wanted to he could have easily done it years ago when I showed him the tattoo but he didn't_, she thought to herself.

"If you say so. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Riza gave her friend a confused look. "Alright… What's going on? Just a few days ago you were bugging me to give you all the juicy details of my supposed relationship with the Major and now you're warning me to be careful. What's with the sudden change in attitude?"

Rebecca sighed. "There are rumors going around that there have been a few sexual assaults around the camp. Marie told me about it yesterday during our shift. She said that some of the women were raped by acquaintances while others were attacked while they were just walking around by themselves. And these women are trained soldiers! God knows what those pigs would do to any helpless Ishbalan woman they find. While I'm sure the Major is a good guy, not everyone here is. Just keep your guard up ok?

"Don't worry," Riza reassured her, "I always carry this with me." She discreetly patted her backside where her revolver was hidden. "And even if by chance something were to happen to me I'm sure I can count on you to beat the hell out of my attacker right?" Rebecca grinned.

"You can bet on it. Nobody's attacking my best friend and getting away with it. I'll hunt him down to the ends of the earth if I have to and beat him into a bloody pulp." She smacked her fist into her palm for emphasis. "But seriously though," she continued, "watch your back."

"Same goes for you too." She smiled inwardly at the thought of Rebecca beating the living daylights out of a guy. It was nice knowing her friend was that concerned about her well-being and she sincerely hoped that neither one of them would ever end up in a situation where the other would have to avenge her.

The sound of two men arguing nearby broke her train of thought. Looking up ahead she saw a group of soldiers sitting around waiting for their shifts to begin. In the center of the group was Roy and a dark-haired man Riza recognized as Solf J. Kimblee, the Crimson Alchemist. They appeared to be arguing over something.

"Speaking of untrustworthy men…" Rebecca whispered, nodding at Kimblee. "He's definitely one man we should both avoid."

"Definitely," she agreed. They made their way over to the group and sat down on a pile of rubble. As she dropped her backpack beside her, she overheard Kimblee talking.

"Why are soldiers who should be protecting the populace killing them instead? Because those are the orders we were given. Isn't that right?"

Riza sat there, stunned. The one question she asked herself every night before falling asleep. The one question that haunted her every waking hour. And here he was tossing out an answer like it was a silly question not worthy of his time. She glanced over at Roy and noticed he was not happy.

"You're telling me to rationalize this tragedy?" he demanded. Kimblee simply raised an eyebrow and looked around him.

"Can't you all look at this as a job?" he asked.

"If we could we wouldn't be discussing this, Sir," answered a corporal behind him.

Kimblee snorted in disgust and looked around some more. "Well then, how about….You?" He pointed at her. "Little lady, you don't like your work, do you? It's written all over your face."

"That's true. I don't enjoy killing." Riza replied.

Kimblee grinned. "Really…. when you kill an enemy can you honestly tell me that you don't for one moment relish in the pride of a job well done, Miss Sniper?"

His words made her blood run cold. Why in the world would she be proud of killing someone? There was nothing satisfying about taking another person's life. In fact, every time she pulled the trigger she felt a sense of remorse at what she had done. Looking back at Kimblee, she felt her anger rising and it took all her willpower to resist the urge to stand up and slap him across the face.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" yelled Roy, grabbing Kimblee by the collar and pulling him up. Everybody stared at him in surprise but Kimblee appeared to be unperturbed.

"From my perspective, you're much harder to understand," he said calmly, looking straight at Roy. "Always looking for some way to rationalize your role here…. Is it evil to kill with alchemy? Or is it more honorable to kill with a gun? Were you only prepared to kill a few people and not thousands?" Pointing at his uniform, he continued, "You knew the moment you put on this uniform out of your own free will this was expected of you. If you didn't like it you should've never put it on in the first place. Why do you keep acting like the victim when it was your choice to be here?"

He leaned in closer. "Don't avert your eyes from death. Look straight ahead. Look at the people you're killing. And never forget them….Because they'll never forget you."

Everyone was silent. Riza sat there, unable to speak as Kimblee's words echoed inside her head. She looked up at Roy. He was still standing there with his hand still gripping Kimblee's jacket; a look of anguish clearly etched on his face.

_Klang…. Klang….Klang_

The sound of a bell ringing off in the distance seemed to break everyone from his or her trance. Kimblee grinned.

"Oh. Time for me to go." He swatted Roy's hand away and adjusted his jacket. "Lovely chatting with all of you," he smirked before walking off.

"We better go too," Rebecca whispered to her. She nodded and they both got up. She noticed Roy looking at her but she quickly walked past him, carefully avoiding eye contact.

* * *

Roy watched as Riza and Rebecca walked away, somewhat perplexed at what just happened. He had wanted to ask her if she was all right but she had deliberately walked past him as if he wasn't there. Was she avoiding him? Did he do something wrong? He turned back to talk to Maes and saw that his friend was also already getting ready to leave.

"I have to go too," Maes told him over his shoulder. "I'm stationed in Sector 18 today. See ya, Roy."

"Hughes," he called. "Why do you fight?"

Maes stopped and looked back at him, a look of sadness in his eyes. "It's simple…I don't want to die…That's all." He paused for a moment before adding, "The reason is always simple…Roy."

Roy breathed a sigh of frustration. "I see," he finally said. "Thank you for answering my question."

"No problem. I'll see you later," Maes saluted before walking off. Roy watched his friend disappear amongst the soldiers before making his way in the opposite direction to Sector 22. When he arrived he noticed several soldiers standing around, waiting for their orders.

"Major Mustang!" saluted one soldier. "Lieutenant General Grumman has asked that you go see him immediately."

Roy nodded. "I'll go find him right now. Thank you, Sergeant." He walked past the soldiers and entered the building behind them. An old man was standing in the middle of the room next to an old wooden table studying the giant map in front of him. Behind him a few soldiers were tinkering with a radio, trying to get it to work. He looked up as Roy entered the room.

"Oh good. You're here," Grumman smiled.

"You asked for me, Sir?" Roy saluted.

"Yes, I did. I need your help planning our battle strategy." He motioned for Roy to come closer. "As you already know, we are responsible for securing this entire region." He swept his hand across the map. "Our scouts have determined that the Ishbalans have constructed blockades all over the area with the most troublesome spots being here, here, and here," he added, pointing to several locations on the map. "General Blackburn wants us to just march straight ahead and attack all three positions at once but I believe that's foolhardy given our shortage of manpower and artillery."

"Blackburn probably wants us to secure the area as fast as possible so we can move onto the next region. He had a meeting with the State Alchemists yesterday saying the Fuhrer wanted faster results."

"Hmph. Throwing wave after wave of soldiers is only setting us up for a very bloody failure. Blackburn should know this." He sighed and removed his glasses to clean them. "Something's not right. I can't put my finger on it but I get the feeling there's something going on behind the scenes." Putting his glasses back on, he continued, "Anyway, we can discuss that another time. Right now we need to figure out a plan of action."

Roy grinned as he bent down to study the map. He was quite grateful that he ended up working under General Grumman. The old man was a brilliant strategist and he had learned a lot while working under him.

"If we can capture this Ishbala temple it'll give us a huge advantage." He pointed at a large building in the center of the map. "Once we take control of the temple we can position our snipers up on the roof. They should have a clear view of the area and where the remaining enemy is situated."

Grumman nodded." Agreed. But to capture the temple we need to first get past these blockades. Can you use your alchemy on them?"

Roy nodded. "I can use my flame attacks to cut through the enemy ranks. However, I need to be within range first. The Ishbalans appear to have learned from our previous confrontations and have adapted to our attacks by spreading out their fighters amongst the surrounding buildings. A single blast won't be enough to take them all out at once."

"Hmm…that is troublesome. From their positions they could pick our soldiers off one by one before we have a chance to get close. The only solution would be to distract them…. I can have Lieutenant Colonel Whitley's men attack from here using the heavy artillery. While they're engaged, your squad can move in from here and launch a surprise attack. How does that sound?"

"I think it should work. If all goes according to plan we should have minimal casualties."

Grumman grinned. "Excellent!" He carefully folded the map and handed it to Roy. "Please inform your men of the plan. We'll start the attack as soon as everyone is in position."

"Understood, Sir," Roy answered as he took the map. He turned to leave but Grumman called him back.

"Major Mustang, do you by any chance play chess?"

Roy looked at the general, somewhat confused. What did this have to do with their battle? "I've played a few times when I was younger but I was never really good at it."

"That's a shame. You strike me as someone who would be very good at the game. Chess is excellent for sharpening one's mind for war strategies. We should play sometime once this war is over." Roy couldn't help but smile at the invitation.

"I look forward to it, Sir," he saluted before walking out of the building. When he stepped outside, he found his squad waiting patiently for him.

"Men," he said solemnly as he pulled out his spark gloves. "Gather all your things. It's time for war."

* * *

**A/N: **Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Please review.


	9. On the Battlefield

_**A/N:**__ Ever had one of those chapters where when you first start writing you're all excited about it and then while you're writing you start thinking, "What the hell was I thinking tackling this?" Yeah, that's what happened to me with this chapter. Hopefully it doesn't show in my writing._

_**Warning:**__ This chapter contains lots of swearing, blood, and other graphic content associated with war including death. This chapter is not for the faint of heart. You have been warned.

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_

**On the Battlefield: **

"Gather around men!" Roy shouted as he unfolded the map and laid it out on a large crate. "Our first objective is to secure the temple of Ishbala located here. Surveillance of the area have determined that the temple is heavily guarded so expect strong resistance. Lt. Colonel Whitley and his men will engage the Ishbalans first using heavy artillery to distract them and allow us to move in and attack. Once we have secured the temple I want Parker and Matthews to set up on the roof and provide reconnaissance. We will regroup and decide on our next plan of action from there. Any questions?"

Roy looked up at the soldiers around him. Nobody said a word. He noticed a look of fear in some of the newer recruits but at the same time he saw determination in everyone's eyes. They all knew what was expected of them and what was required to end the war.

"Alright! Let's get to work!" he ordered. He folded the map and handed it to a private. "Please return this to General Grumman." The private nodded and ran off with the map in hand while the rest of the men went to finalize preparations. Roy sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. He hated these moments. The feeling of guilt that always gnawed at him, reminding him that he was probably sending some of his subordinates to their death.

"Hey, Mustang!" called a voice behind him. He turned around and saw a large middle-aged man walking towards him. "I just talked to Grumman. So you're heading up today's attack?"

"Yes, I am," he replied. "Looks like you're in luck today, Lt. Colonel. You get to sit back and relax while I do all the work."

Whitley gave a hearty laugh. "I wish! What kind of commander would I be if I just sat on my ass all day while my subordinates risked life and limb to protect this country?"

"A shitty one, sir," Roy answered with a smirk. Whitley laughed even harder.

"That's what I like about you, Mustang. You call it as it is. Just don't go around getting yourself killed now, ok? We all need you to finish this war soon so we can all go back to our families. I have a wife and two kids waiting for me to return. My youngest has already been begging me in his letters to take him fishing so I've promised we'll go as soon as I'm back."

Roy smiled. "How old is your son?"

"Seven," answered Whitley. "Born right before this war started. I can still remember watching him take his first breaths like it was yesterday. Absolutely amazing feeling knowing that you helped create another living being..." He stared off in the distance for a moment before quickly snapping back to reality. "Anyway, hard to believe it's been seven years since this conflict started. When we all first arrived here we thought the war would be over in a year."

"Apparently Aerugo has been supplying the Ishbalans with weapons. That's part of the reason why this conflict is still ongoing."

"So I've heard. Still…I don't think anyone would have predicted that the murder of an Ishbalan child would trigger a civil war that has already taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of people." He sighed. "Anyway, thanks to this damn war I've barely seen my family the last few years. I'm just looking forward to ending this once and for all and going back to a normal life again."

Roy nodded in agreement. "I think everyone shares your sentiments, sir."

Whitley grinned. "Well as much as I want to continue chatting, I better go. I see my men are already getting ready," he said, nodding at something. Roy turned and saw a group of soldiers wheeling a field gun past them.

"You should go then," he replied. "Good talking to you, Lt. Colonel."

"I'll see you later, Mustang," Whitley waved before walking off to join his men. Roy looked around and found his own squad standing around waiting for him.

"Sir," saluted Captain Mauser as he approached them. "Preparations are complete. We're awaiting your orders."

Roy nodded. "Before we head out there is one more thing I want to add," he addressed the group. "You should all be vigilant of your surroundings at all times. The Ishbalans are incredibly deft at stealth so never lower your guard or that may be the last mistake you make here. You're no use to the military dead. Remember that."

"Yes sir!" shouted the men in unison.

"Good," Roy grinned. "Now let's move out, men!"

* * *

Riza gritted her teeth as she fired several rounds from her gun. The situation was not good. Ishbalan insurgents had ambushed her squad while they were heading over to the Gunja region, forcing them to take cover behind the broken remains of a masonry wall and return fire. She quickly ducked back down once she had finished shooting. _Damn it!_ she thought as bullets whizzed over her head. She couldn't even spot the enemy through all the dust kicked up during the chaos. She looked around her, trying to find some place where she could get a better vantage point. There were a couple of two-story buildings nearby that would work except that there was no way she could reach it without being exposed to enemy fire.

"Son of a bitch! I can't see a thing!" yelled a nearby soldier.

"Just keep firing! You're bound to hit something!" shouted another.

"It's no use! We're just fucking sitting ducks like this!" added a third.

Riza pursed her lips as she peered over the wall again. The dust appeared to be starting to settle a little and she noticed the faint outline of what looked like a person. She raised her gun to fire but was forced to duck back down when bullets hit the masonry and sent tiny bits of rock flying everywhere.

"Davis! Hawkeye! Get the hell over here!" ordered Colonel Ramsay suddenly. She got up and half ran half crawled over to her commanding officer. He pointed to a building several meters away from them. "I need you two up on the top floor of that building. You should have a clear shot of the enemy from there. Got it?"

Both Riza and Davis nodded.

"Good. We'll provide cover for you." Turning towards the rest of the soldiers, he shouted, "Ready your weapons, men!" before grabbing his own rifle and getting into position. They all crouched behind the wall, waiting for his signal. When the shooting finally stopped momentarily Ramsay quickly stood up and pointed his rifle. "Covering fire!" he shouted as he fired his rifle in the direction of the enemy. The other soldiers quickly followed suit.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

_RATA-TATA-TATA-TATA-TATA-TATA…._

_BLAM! BLAM!_

"Go! Go! Go!" shouted Davis, pushing her forward. Riza ran as fast as she could towards the building, leaping over the body of a comrade lying in the middle of the road in the process. They would retrieve the body later. Survival was priority at the moment.

She ran straight into the building, her guns drawn and ready to fire in case there were any Ishbalans inside. She quickly scanned the room for any sign of the enemy but found none. Sighing in relief, she turned towards Davis. "It's all clear," she said, lowering her guns. He nodded in agreement.

"We better hurry. This way," he said, motioning her to follow him. As they quickly ran up the stairs, she could hear the sound of gunfire outside and the occasional boom from a mortar being fired somewhere. When they were near the top of the stairs Davis held out his hand and motioned for her to stay put. She watched as he ran up the remaining steps and into the room with his rifle up in front of him. She waited breathlessly for the sound of gunfire but none came. "It's clear!" he shouted a few seconds later.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she ran into the room. Davis was already by the window firing at the enemy. She knelt down beside him and readied her own rifle. Looking through the scope, she saw an Ishbalan shooting from the second story window of a building across the street. She carefully aimed her rifle at him and pulled the trigger.

_BLAM!_

Her shot went right through the man's head and he fell backwards into the building. Without skipping a beat, she looked around for her next target. There were two men firing from behind a rock pile. She focused her attention on the closer one and fired.

_BLAM!_

The man fell sideways, his blood splattering all over his companion. The second man looked at his friend in shock before looking up at the building where she was. He quickly aimed his gun at her but she fired again, this time hitting the Ishbalan squarely in the chest. He clutched his chest as if trying to stop the blood from spilling out before falling face down on the ground. She took a deep breath to calm herself before moving on to her next target.

_BLAM!... BLAM!... BLAM!_ One by one she shot at the enemy. One by one they fell to the ground, the sand under them stained red with their blood. Pretty soon only a few Ishbalans remained. Realizing their situation, they tried to flee but she stopped them in their tracks. Gritting her teeth, she shot at the retreating Ishbalans. It wasn't right, shooting an unarmed enemy from behind but her orders were to shoot to kill. No exceptions.

_BLAM!_

The last Ishbalan fell to the ground with a loud thud. Riza breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her gun. She looked over to Davis and saw him leaning out the window, giving Ramsay the "all clear" signal. Then she heard the Colonel shout, "Everyone ok?"

"We have several wounded and five dead, sir," answered a soldier.

"Tend to the wounded and collect the bodies. We'll drop them off at the nearest rendezvous point."

"Yes, sir!"

"Let's go rejoin the group," Davis told her. She nodded and stood up to leave when a flutter of violet caught her eye. It appeared to be a body lying on the floor at the other end of the room. Against her better judgment she walked over it and moved the debris covering it. Underneath she found the body of a young Ishbalan woman.

The girl couldn't have been much older than herself. She was quite pretty, at least from what Riza could tell under the bruises on her face. Her clothing was torn and the wounds on her bruised body looked like she had been stabbed several times by a bayonet before being left to die. Rebecca's warning from earlier suddenly came back into her mind and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach thinking what this girl must have gone through during her last moments of life.

"Come on. Let's go," said Davis softly. She turned and found him standing next to her.

"Just a minute," she told him. She grabbed a blanket lying nearby and covered the body. She would have liked to give the girl a proper burial but this would have to do. When she was finally done, she stood up and followed Davis back down the stairs.

* * *

Roy silently cursed as he ran up a narrow street with several of his men. The Ishbalans were putting up one hell of a fight. The battle had barely started, yet his group had already been attacked twice by Ishbalan warriors. Fortunately, he was able to use his close range flame attacks on the enemy but even then it was too close for comfort. He needed to finish this battle quickly.

He stopped at the end of the street and pressed his back against the side of the building while motioning for the men to do the same. He carefully peered around the corner and saw approximately a dozen Ishbalans firing their weapons from behind a wall of sandbags about thirty meters away.

_This is it,_ he thought. He raised his right hand, ready to unleash another alchemy attack.

_SNAP!_

The force of the explosion caused the ground to shake and sent debris flying everywhere. Roy squinted as he watched the entire block in front of him became engulfed in a wall of fire. "Come on, move!" he shouted once the flames had dissipated, pushing his soldiers forward. They ran into the smoke with their guns raised, firing blindly. He followed after them. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air, accompanied by the groans of dying Ishbalans. Roy instinctively held his breath as he ran past several burnt corpses. Despite all his time on the battlefield and participating in those heinous experiments with Knox the smell of death still turned his stomach. From the corner of his eye he noticed a solider stabbing an injured Ishbalan with his bayonet while another was kicking a body, looking for signs of life. He ignored them and continued down the street towards the temple with his squad. They had just turned a corner when gunfire erupted in front of them.

_RATA-TATA-TATA-TATA-TATA-TATA…._

_Shit. _Roy cursed as he quickly took cover behind a building along with a handful of other soldiers. Looking across the street, he saw two of his men dragging an injured comrade to safety while several more lay on the ground where they fell. He felt his blood turn cold when he saw a badly injured soldier reach his arm out towards them.

"Help…me…" said the young man weakly.

"Max!" shouted a private. He tried to run into the gunfire towards his injured friend but Roy pulled him back.

"Don't be stupid," he scolded. "You'll get shot if you go out there and then who will save you?" The private stared at him, a look of anger and frustration on his face but Roy ignored it. He had more pressing matters to attend to than babysitting greenhorns. Looking away, he noticed Mauser peering around the corner using a small mirror attached to metal rod.

"Captain Mauser, what's the situation?" Roy asked as he crouched down next to the man.

"There's at least four men up on the rooftops and about thirteen on the ground, sir," he answered. "They appear to be heavily armed with automatic weapons." He handed Roy the mirror and stepped aside. Roy carefully inched to the edge of the building and held up the mirror. He could see a group of Ishbalans with their machine guns propped up on a wall of sandbags in the mirror's reflection. Tilting the mirror slightly, he saw several more men firing from the roof and leaning out of the windows. He moved the mirror out a little more to get a better view of their location but the Ishbalans suddenly began firing in his direction, forcing him to retreat back behind the building.

"Dammit!" he muttered as bullets and bits of concrete went flying in all directions. He snapped his fingers and a small thread of fire ignited from his fingertips. The fire quickly traveled towards the enemy using a line of dust he had also transmuted as a guide before exploding several meters away.

_BOOM!_

The blast was small compared to his previous ones but he didn't care. He only needed one big enough to momentarily distract the enemy. As he expected, the gunfire stopped, giving him the opportunity to step out onto the street for the kill. He stood there with his arms crossed in front of him, ready to unleash the final blow.

_SNAP! SNAP!_

_BOOM!_

_SNAP!_

_KABOOM!_

The explosion engulfed the entire area in front of him, turning it into a raging inferno. He heard the enemy screaming in pain, begging Ishbala to save them from inside the fires. He felt sick inside. Nobody could possibly survive that attack.

_So this is what hell must look like…_

"Amazing…." he heard several of his subordinates murmur. Turning around, he saw them standing there, staring with dropped jaws at the smoldering remains behind him. A few others were busy tending to the wounded. The soldier that had called out for help early was still lying there, unmoving, while his friend sat in stunned silence next to his body.

"Brodie, Laval!" Roy called out. "Help Larsson with the wounded. The rest of you, let's go. We still have a lot of work to do."

"Yes, sir!" shouted the men. They promptly followed him, running down several more streets and engaging in several more skirmishes before they finally reached their destination. They quickly ran up the stairs and into the temple with their weapons drawn and ready for any surprise attack. The main foyer was empty save for some furniture and several giant wooden crates stacked against the wall.

"Search the building," Roy ordered his men. "Report back to me if you find anything and be careful of any booby traps." The men nodded but before they could move they heard the sound of footsteps coming from outside.

_Damn it! Not now, _Roy thought as he and his men quickly got into position. They stood with their weapons aimed at the temple entrance, waiting to see if the people approaching were friend or foe. Roy noticed a feeling of tension in the air, which immediately disappeared when several men in blue military uniforms ran in.

"Sorry we're late," said Whitley. "We were caught in a firefight with a bunch of Ishbalans. Those fucking bastards don't know when to give up."

"That's quite alright," answered Roy. "We were just about to go secure the area," He motioned for his men to continue on with the orders. They nodded and ran off into the building.

Whitley nodded in understanding. Turning towards his own men, he ordered, "Go help them."

"Yes, sir!" they saluted. Several men went to inspect the crates while the rest followed the other soldiers out of the room.

"Saw your handiwork out there, Mustang," Whitley said as they walked up to one set of crates. "Very impressive."

"Thank you, sir," he replied back. They watched as the soldiers opened all the crates, unveiling a cache of armaments.

"Whew," whistled Whitley. "This is quite an arsenal. No wonder they were able to last this long against us. And we're certain Aerugo is supplying them?"

"Looks like it," replied Roy as he picked up a rifle. It was clearly an Aerugo military-issued weapon. "No wonder the Ishbalans were putting up such a strong defense around this place. They were using this building as storage for all their extra weaponry."

"Rifles, bayonets, various ammunition…I have to say they're very well equipped." Whitley picked up a steel helmet and turned it over. "Hmm…I haven't seen anyone here wearing this yet."

"It's probably a recent shipment. The Ishbalans probably haven't had time to look through all these crates."

"Their loss. These would be great for minimizing head wounds. Then again…" he gently tapped the helmet. "I doubt these would help them against the State Alchemists."

Roy didn't say anything. He placed the rifle he was holding back in the crate and was about to examine another box when he heard shouting above them followed by what sounded like a scuffle.

"Looks like they found something."

The noise quickly stopped as soon as it started and was replaced by the sound of footsteps running down towards them. A few seconds later, several soldiers returned to the foyer. "Major Mustang! The building is secured!" panted a corporeal. "We found a cache of weapons and other supplies in several rooms. Captain Mauser is currently examining them and requests that you join him."

Roy nodded. "And the noise just now?"

"There were several Ishbalans hiding in one of the rooms upstairs. They tried to attack us but we were able to subdue them. We believe they were just civilians though."

"I see…Good work men," he praised. They grinned. Turning to Whitley, he said, "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm needed elsewhere."

"No problem. My men and I have this area covered."

Roy turned back to his men. "Let's go," he said. As they walked away, he heard Whitley talking to one of his soldiers followed by the sound of cracking wood as another crate was opened.

"Shit…GRENADE!"

Roy's eyes widened when he heard the Lt. Colonel's words. "Get down!" he shouted, pushing a soldier down behind a large crate before diving down next to him. He barely made it before he heard the bomb go off.

_BOOM!_

Roy felt the floor shook while he waited for the feeling of sharp shrapnel piercing his skin. It never came. Looking up over the crate, his eyes widened in horror at the sight in front of him.

_Oh shit…_

"Lieutenant Colonel!" shouted another soldier.

Whitley was lying face down in a pool of blood, motionless. Roy quickly ran up to the body and turned him over. He took a sharp intake of air when he saw just had badly his wounds were. Whitey had placed the steel helmet over the grenade and covered it with his body in an attempt to contain the explosion. The helmet had taken the brunt of the blast but it wasn't enough. Roy could see fragments of the grenade embedded deep in the Lt. Colonel's stomach while blood was gushing from the wounds. He gently pressed two fingers against his neck. There was a faint pulse. _He's not dead yet._

"MEDIC!" he shouted. A soldier wearing a white armband with a red cross rushed over and immediately began administering first aid. He gave Whitley a dose of morphine to ease the pain and then immediately began removing pieces of shrapnel from his wounds.

"What happened?" Roy asked the private next to him. The young man looked like he was about to cry.

"I'm not sure," he sobbed. "The grenade just rolled out onto the floor when we were moving some crates to get to the ones underneath. I have no idea how it got there."

_Damn,_ thought Roy. _The Ishbalans must've wedged the grenade between two crates so when we moved it, it would explode. They knew we were coming here so they booby-trapped the crates knowing that we would inspect them._

"I need someone to apply pressure on the wounds!" the medic shouted as he mopped up some blood with a rag. "We need to stem the bleeding!" A few soldiers quickly applied clean rags to the wounds. "Major! We need something to prop his head up. Can you find something?"

Roy nodded and quickly scanned the room. He saw a backpack lying nearby and grabbed it. He carefully slid it under Whitley's head. It wasn't great but it would have to do. As he watched the other soldiers try to stem the bleeding, he bit his lip in frustration. Whitley was losing too much blood. He was about to suggest using his alchemy to cauterize the wounds when he vaguely heard someone calling his name. He looked down and saw the lieutenant colonel looking up at him.

"Mustang… Is everyone ok?" he whispered.

"Yes, everyone's fine. Thanks to you." Roy murmured, trying to sound as calm as possible. "You should be worrying about yourself at the moment."

Whitley smiled. Turning towards the medic he asked, "How bad is it?"

"You're very lucky to be alive, sir," answered the medic while he applied dressings to his wounds.

Whitley coughed, a small trail of blood dripped down the side of his mouth. "Mustang…" he whispered again, his lips barely moving. "I need you… to do something…" He reached up to touch something but his arm suddenly dropped over his chest and he began gasping for air. Alarmed, Roy placed two fingers on his neck.

"His heart's racing!"

"Damn it! He's going into shock! We need to elevate his legs!" The medic quickly grabbed the backpack while Roy and the private supported his head and gently lowered it to the floor. "Keep applying pressure on the wound!" he ordered as he propped up Whitley's legs with the backpack. Whitley appeared to be drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Whitley! Can you hear me?" Roy yelled. "It's going to be all right! You can't die on us yet! Remember you still have your wife and kids waiting for you back home! Remember your promise to your son!"

His words elicited no response from Whitley. The lieutenant colonel's breathing was starting to become ragged and his lips were turning blue.

_Shit._ _This is getting bad._

Roy watched as the medic leaned over and placed his ear next to Whitley's face, checking his breathing. Almost immediately, he sat back up, knocking over another soldier in the process. "Get the fuck out of the way!" he shouted. Roy and the rest of the soldiers immediately stepped back. The medic quickly wiped the blood off Whitley's mouth with a handkerchief before covering his mouth with his and breathed into him. After two breaths he stopped and checked his pulse before continuing. He continued giving several more breaths, stopping often to re-check his pulse. After the fourth cycle, the medic placed his finger once again on Whitley's neck to check his pulse before cursing out loud.

"I can't find his pulse," he said, looking up at Roy. "Major, I'm going to need your help." Roy quickly knelt down next to the body. "I need you to start chest compressions." Roy nodded and immediately placed his hands over Whitley's chest.

"1…2…3…" he counted out loud as he pushed down, trying to maintain a steady rate. When he reached 15 the medic held up a hand motioning him to stop. He paused and waited as the medic breathed into Whitley's mouth twice before starting again. After repeating that four times, the medic checked his pulse and shook his head. Roy bit his lip.

_Come on, Whitley, _he thought as he continued the compressions._ You can't die yet. Not here. You still have a lot to live for._

They continued like this for several minutes with no sign of improvement. Roy could feel his arms starting to tire but he continued on. He couldn't stop now. Whitley's life depended on it.

"13…14…15," he panted, stopping to catch his breath. While he watched the medic breathe he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a lieutenant standing over him.

"Let me take over, sir."

He was too tired to protest. He stood up and moved aside. The lieutenant took his place and immediately began the compressions. Roy ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Whitley was extremely pale now and the dressings covering his wounds were completely soaked with blood. He glanced down at his hands. His gloves were also covered with blood. Clenching his fists, he mentally berated himself for not learning more medicinal alchemy when he was younger. It would've been very useful right about now but instead, all he could do was watch helplessly as his fellow soldier slowly died in front of him.

_I'm such an idiot. I learned alchemy to help my countrymen yet here I am unable to even save a comrade…_

Several more minutes passed before the medic finally signaled to the lieutenant to stop. "It's no use," he panted, "He's gone…" Roy felt a sharp jab in his heart while he watched a soldier pull out a blanket from one of the crates and cover the body with it. Looking around, he realized all the soldiers from both squads were standing solemnly around them. The room was silent save for the quiet sniffles of a few of the younger soldiers. As he watched the grieving soldiers Roy could feel his frustrations bubbling up inside him and he wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of his lungs. Spying a broken chunk of rock nearby, he kicked it as hard as he could, sending it sailing across the room before smashing against the wall. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself before turning back to face the men.

"Whitley squad," he said, staring at each soldier in the face. "Starting right now you will be under my command. Our orders from the brass are to capture this entire region and to exterminate any resisting insurgents. Lt. Colonel Whitley sacrificed his life to protect all of us so we could move on and achieve this goal. Don't let his sacrifice be for nothing. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!" shouted all the men in unison.

"Good. Now let's finish the job!"

The men quickly ran off to finish the work they were doing before the explosion, leaving him alone. Sighing, he took one last look at Whitley's covered body while the medic was preparing to move it back to the camp. "Rest in peace, Lieutenant Colonel," he murmured before turning around and walking out of the room.

* * *

**A/N:** _Thank you to everyone who reviewed and/or added this story to their favorites. It makes me happy to see that people are enjoying it. Anyway, please review. They are greatly appreciated._


	10. Definition of a Hero

_**A/N:** For the Star Trek fans out there, I've snuck in a quote from TNG. See if you can find it. Hint: Tasha Yar says the line in Yesterday's Enterprise._

* * *

**Definition of a Hero:**

Maes wandered around the camp, looking for his best friend. He had been walking for a while now, ever since the fighting ended, yet he still hadn't seen any sign of Roy.

_Where the hell could he be?_

He knew he wasn't dead- if he was the news would've spread like wildfire amongst the soldiers- and he wasn't in his tent so he had to be somewhere around here.

_Maybe he's badly injured?_

The thought sent chills down his spine. He didn't want to think about it but at the same time he couldn't ignore it. Today's battle had been exceptionally bloody with heavy casualties being reported all over the area. It was quite possible that Roy was among the wounded. He may be a State Alchemist, but he wasn't invincible.

He was just about to go check the infirmary when he heard a snap behind him. Turning around, he saw a familiar black mop of hair sitting in front of a small campfire. Sighing in relief, he ran over to his friend.

"Hey. I've been looking all over for you," he said, sitting down across the fire from him. Roy looked up at him.

"Hey Hughes," he mumbled. Maes stared at him in surprise.

"Damn Roy. You look like you've been to hell and back."

"I thought we were still in hell."

Maes shook his head. Clearly something was bothering him. Looking away, he noticed another man wearing a white medical coat sitting off to the side smoking a cigarette.

"I don't believe we've met. I'm Maes Hughes," he said, holding out his hand.

"Knox," said the man gruffly as he shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you. I take it from your clothing that you're a doctor?" he asked. Knox nodded. "I bet it must be pretty crazy at the medical tents right now with so many wounded, eh?"

"Probably," said Knox, blowing out smoke. "But then most of the patients I deal with now are corpses."

Maes eyes widen in surprise at his words. "Oh," he said. He made a quick mental note to make sure Knox was never treating him if he ever ended up in the infirmary. Turning back to Roy, he noticed his friend was still staring into the fire as if lost in thought. "Is everything ok, Roy?" he asked.

"I watched a soldier die in front of me today," he answered.

"Okay…" Maes said, somewhat confused. They were in a war zone. Soldiers were constantly dying around them and he didn't understand why Roy would suddenly be so distraught over it. "Was it a subordinate?"

Roy shook his head. "No. A superior. Lt. Colonel John Whitley. We were in a building when one of the soldiers triggered a booby trap. He sacrificed his life by throwing himself onto the grenade to protect everyone."

Maes whistled. "Damn…talk about the ultimate sacrifice. The military will probably award him a medal for his heroism."

Roy snapped the stick he was holding in two and threw it in the fire. "He may be a hero, but at what cost?" he shouted. "By sacrificing his life like that his kids now have to grow up without a father!"

"Whoa…take it easy, Roy," said Maes holding up his hands. He was quite unprepared for his friend's sudden outburst.

"Calm down, Mustang," grumbled Knox. "What you're having right now is nothing more than survivor's guilt. Your mind is trying to justify why you're still alive and he's not. I bet that you're also wishing you were in his place instead."

"Besides," added Maes. "He made a split second decision. He was concerned about making sure his men were safe. He probably wasn't thinking about the future and the possibility that he was going to leave his wife a widow and his children fatherless. The fact that he risked his life for others is what makes him a hero. He could've easily been killed by an enemy's bullet another time. At least his family can take some comfort in the fact that his death was not for nothing."

Roy looked at both of them with tired eyes. "You're right," he finally said, looking up at the night sky. "I've always known the risks that come with this uniform. If I'm to die in one, I'll like my death to count for something."

"Amen to that."

They were silent for a few minutes before Knox spoke up again. "Speaking of putting other people's lives before your own, I've heard that there's a pair of Amestrian doctors - a married couple named Rockbell from what I've been told - who have set up a humanitarian hospital in the Kanda region. They've ignored repeated orders to return back home and continue to treat the injured Ishbalans."

"What? They're insane!" shouted both Roy and Maes.

Knox shrugged. "I had the same conversation with another doctor a while ago. He also thought what they're doing was suicidal. But when you really think about it, it takes a strong conviction to be able to do what they are doing. A doctor's duty is to save lives and that's what they're doing. All the other civilian doctors have already left Ishbal so they have no help either.

Maes shook his head. "They're crazy. The war is advancing towards that area. They'll get caught in the crossfire if they don't leave."

"The military is required to offer protection to humanitarian workers- even in enemy territory. They'll probably be forced to evacuate when the fighting reaches their area."

"I can understand why they would want to stay," Roy said. "They want to help the wounded who would otherwise die without medical treatment yet it's still dangerous. They're essentially putting themselves in harm's way. They could be hit by an artillery shell or someone could mistake them as the enemy and kill them by accident."

"I think they're aware of the dangers and have decided that it's worth the risk," mumbled Knox as he dropped his cigarette butt onto the ground. "I personally would never risk my life for people I don't know but then I never wanted to be a hero. Those people are a special breed."

Maes pondered over Knox's words. Part of him still thought it was foolish for the doctors to risk their lives helping the enemy, yet another part of him couldn't help but admire their courage and determination to do what they felt was right. While he wasn't sure if he could do what they or the lieutenant colonel did, he did know that he would gladly give up his life to protect the people he cared about.

_Maybe we're all a little bit insane._

"Since we're all sharing stories of bravery I've got one too," he said. Both Roy and Knox looked up at him. "We found Roug Roa, the high priest of the Ishbala religion earlier today."

"What?" shouted Roy, scrambling up onto his knees. "How? I thought he was hiding out in the desert."

"That's what I thought too. Apparently he's been hiding in the city the whole time. He walked out in the middle of the battlefield with a group of his followers waving a white flag. He requested a meeting with Fuhrer Bradley to negotiate a peaceful surrender."

"I don't believe it," muttered Roy, sitting back down. "Does this mean the war's going to be over soon?"

Maes shook his head. "When I brought him and his followers to the Fuhrer's tent, Roug Roa offered his life in exchange for sparing the lives of all the surviving Ishbalans. The Fuhrer rejected the offer though. He had them thrown into prison and ordered us to continue the extermination."

"Oh," murmured Roy, clearly disappointed.

"You're not the only one who's disappointed, Roy," Maes said, scratching his head. "We all thought the fighting would finally be over."

"Do you know why the Fuhrer rejected the offer?" asked Knox as he took out another cigarette and lit it.

"Not really. He just said that one life is only worth one life and that there would be no exchange." He sighed. "You know, it's kind of sad. Here's a leader who offers up his own life to end the war and save his people, essentially becoming a martyr, yet not only does Bradley reject his offer, he has them locked up anyway."

"He took a gamble and lost," said Roy. "What I don't understand though is why Bradley didn't accept the offer. If we're here to suppress the rebellion then what Roug Roa offered should have been enough to end it."

"The military's not interested in suppressing the rebellion, Mustang," grunted Knox. "They want to exterminate the entire Ishbalan race. You know that."

Maes heard his friend sigh. "If that really is the case then we won't be leaving here until every Ishbalan man, woman, and child is dead," Roy muttered as he poked at the fire with another stick. "If we try to leave any earlier we'll be court-martialed."

"Oh! That reminds me, Major Armstrong was removed from the battlefield today," said Maes.

Roy looked up at him. "What happened to him?"

"Apparently he couldn't take the bloodshed. Broke down while holding the dead body of an Ishbalan child. Brigadier General Fessler ordered him to keep fighting or face a court-martial for insubordination but he wouldn't move. They'll be sending him back to Central shortly."

Roy nodded. "I'm actually not surprised. I spoke with him yesterday after our meeting with the generals. Even then he looked quite distraught. This war was probably too much for him."

Maes shook his head. "An emotional man like him shouldn't be on the front lines. What he's seen out here will scar him forever."

"No kidding," agreed Roy. "But then I doubt anyone can go back to living a normal life after this."

Maes sighed as he reached into his breast pocket where he kept a photo of Gracia. He pulled it out and stared longingly at it. "I don't think we can ever go back to the way things were before the war. But no matter what, I'm determined to live the rest of my life to its fullest once this bloody war is over and I can finally return home."

Roy nodded before getting up. "It's been a very long day," he said, throwing the last remaining pieces of wood into the fire. "I'm going to call it a night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Good night," waved Maes.

"Night," grunted Knox.

Maes watched as Roy disappeared into the night before looking back down at his photo. He smiled. Every time he looked at Gracia's picture a warm feeling would wash over him, washing away any feelings of sadness or frustration. She looked so beautiful in the photo, dressed in a pale green dress with flowers in her hair and that beautiful smile on her face. He couldn't wait to see that smile again in person.

A loud cough suddenly brought him back from his daydream. He looked up and saw Knox still staring off into space while smoking his cigarette. Grinning, he scooted over to the doctor.

"So…wanna see pictures of my girlfriend?"

* * *

Roy quietly walked through the camp, deep in thought. Whitley's death still plagued his mind. He had replayed that moment over and over again in his mind, trying to figure out what he could have done different. But each time a little voice in his head told him it was pointless. He sighed. Knox was right. Maybe he was suffering from survivor's guilt.

"So where's that cute blonde who's always hanging around you, Mustang?" asked a voice suddenly behind him. Roy turned around and scowled when he saw who it was.

"Kimblee."

"What's with the sour face? Not happy to see me?"

"You read my mind," he replied and turned around before walking off. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the Crimson Alchemist. Unfortunately, the man followed right after him.

"You know, you should share the wealth a little. There aren't a lot a women out here on the battlefield so if you aren't going to bang her, let another guy have a chance."

Roy stopped in his tracks and clenched his fists. Turning around, he grabbed Kimblee by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

"Don't you touch her!" he growled. Kimblee's expression didn't change.

"Lighten up, Flame. I was just joking."

"Well I'm not!" He leaned in closer. "I swear, Kimblee, if you lay one hand on her I will burn you till you're nothing but a pile of ash."

Kimblee grinned. "You're rather protective of her aren't you? Fortunately for you, she's not my type. I prefer more spirited girls. They make life much more interesting."

"You sick bastard…" Roy mumbled. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to beat the living shit out of this man but he resisted the urge. Instead, he gripped the collar tighter. I'll warn you one more time. Stay away from her or I will make you regret it."

Kimblee laughed. It was disturbing, like an insane person laughing. "You really are something, Mustang. Threatening me like this over a girl. But really, I'm not the person you should be worried about."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked but before Kimblee could answer, he heard voices off in the distance.

"Come on sweetheart. There's no need to play hard to get."

He turned and saw a hooded soldier walking several meters away. Following her were two other soldiers making catcalls. Roy frowned. He could tell from the way the first soldier was walking and holding her rifle exactly who she was and he didn't like it. Without another word, he let go of Kimblee and quickly ran down the street to follow the soldiers.

* * *

Riza mentally cursed herself for not heeding Rebecca's earlier advice. She had gone for a walk to clear her mind after the battle and inadvertently wandered past a group of soldiers smoking near an abandoned building. Despite her best efforts to walk by unnoticed, she had caught the attention of a few of them and they were now following after her.

_This day can't possibly get any worse._

"There's no need to be shy, miss. We just want to get to know you," said one of the soldiers.

_How about you just go away,_ she thought while she slowly reached behind her back. "I'm sorry, but I prefer to be alone at the moment," she told him while she placed her hand over her revolver.

"You know it's not safe for a woman to be walking around alone at night. My friend and I can escort you back to your tent," said the other soldier.

"Thanks but no thanks," she said curtly. They were getting too close now.

"Oh, but we insist…" replied the second soldier, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She quickly spun around and pointed her revolver at them.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled. The two men stepped back, a look of amusement on both their faces.

"Oooh. She's a feisty one," grinned the first soldier. "You're not actually thinking of shooting both of us are you?"

"I won't have to if you two leave."

He laughed. "I'll like to see you try." He took a step closer. "Go ahead. Shoot me," he taunted.

Riza cocked the gun. "Don't try me," she warned. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as he walked slowly towards her. "Stay back!" she shouted. He stopped about two feet in front of her.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" he mocked. She didn't answer him. Her mind was too busy trying to determine the best way out of this situation-one that wouldn't result in a corpse.

"What do you want?" she asked, still pointing her gun.

"I think that's pretty obvious," leered the first soldier. Before Riza could respond, he quickly grabbed her gun and they began wrestling over it. She felt herself pull the trigger and heard the gun go off but it didn't hit anything.

_Dammit._

"Hold still," muttered the first guy as he finally knocked the gun from her hands and was trying to restrain her. She cursed out loud as she tried to break free. Without thinking, she turned and drove the heel of her hand straight into his face, breaking his nose. He immediately let go off her and staggered backwards, holding his nose. She tried to make a run for it but before she could get away she felt a pair of arms grab her around her neck and waist.

_Shit._

"Ha. I've got you now," grinned the second soldier.

"Let… go…of…me," she said, gritting her teeth. He laughed.

"Now why would I do that?"

"Because I'll make you regret it…" she murmured. Raising her arm, she elbowed him hard in the ribs. He yelled out in pain and his grip on her loosened slightly, allowing her to swing her other arm and hit him on the side of the head with her elbow before turning around and kneeing him hard in the groin. He groaned in pain and fell to his knees.

"You little bitch. You're going to pay for that," he gasped as she quickly turned to run away. She only managed two or three steps before something hit her foot, causing her to fall onto the ground. Turning over, she saw the first soldier standing over her.

"You're quite the troublemaker aren't you?" he sneered, his face a bloody mess. Riza quickly looked around her and saw her revolver lying nearby. She grabbed it and pointed it at him.

"Don't take another step!" she shouted. Her heart was beating wildly now.

Suddenly, a wall of fire appeared between them followed by yelling. She turned and saw Roy standing there, his right hand stretched out in front of him.

"Didn't anyone tell you that when a lady says 'no' she means 'no'?" he said calmly as he walked towards them.

"Shit. It's the Flame Alchemist," she heard the first soldier mutter.

"I want your name, rank and squad name," Roy barked.

"Private Mark Adrian. Kimblee squad," mumbled the first soldier.

"Private Curtis Stokes. Also Kimblee squad," winced the second.

"Kimblee…that explains a lot of things. And why were you harassing this cadet?"

"We were just trying to talk to her, Sir."

"Bullshit! Don't lie to me!"

Neither of the soldiers said anything but a look of fear was clearly etched on their faces.

"I'll be reporting your conduct to the higher ups. You'll be lucky if you don't get kicked out of the military for this. Now get the hell out my sight!"

"Yes, sir!" The two soldiers quickly scrambled onto their feet and ran off, probably relieved that they were no longer under the burning gaze of the Flame Alchemist. When they were out of sight Roy turned back to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded. He held out his hand and she took it, pulling herself up. Brushing the dust off her uniform, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't quite the response I was expecting. Whatever happened to 'Thank you for coming to my rescue'?"

She scoffed. "You were a few minutes too late for that. I had the situation under control."

"I don't usually count pointing a gun at a fellow soldier as having the situation under control. You do know that you were jeopardizing your military career right? If you had killed him you would've been kicked out of the academy and possibly jailed."

"I'm quite aware of that. But when my only other options were getting raped and/or murdered I'll take my chances with the self defense claim." She reached down and grabbed her wrapped rifle that she had dropped earlier during the scuffle. "Anyway, I better get going. Good night, Mr. Mustang."

"Wait," he called out. She stopped and turned to face him. "You're bleeding, " he said, brushing away her hair. She reached up and touched her temple. Sure enough, she could feel a cut on the side of her head.

"It's nothing. I probably got it earlier today while we were fighting the Ishbalans."

"It's pretty deep," said Roy inspecting the wound closely.

"It's just a small wound. Nothing a bandage can't fix. I'll just stop-" Before she could finish her sentence Roy had grabbed her by the wrist.

"Come on. I have a first aid kit," he said, leading her back to the camp. She tried to protest but he didn't seem to hear her.

* * *

"Ow!" Riza shouted, pushing Roy's hand away. "That stings!"

Roy frowned. "It's supposed to sting. It's alcohol." He reached out and pulled her back towards him. "Now hold still," he said firmly as he dabbed an alcohol-soaked handkerchief against her head. She winced slightly at the burning sensation but didn't pull away this time. As she watched him out of the corner of her eye, she felt a little uncomfortable. Considering what happened the previous night, sitting there alone with him in his tent didn't seem like a good idea.

"There," said Roy, placing a bandage on her head and pressing it to make sure it stuck. "Good as new."

She reached and touched the bandage. "Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome," he said as he put a few items back into his medical kit. While his back was turned, she tried to make her escape.

"Well, good night, Mr. Mustang," she quickly muttered while she grabbed her rifle lying next to her. He turned around just as she stood up.

"Hold on a minute," he said, grabbing her sleeve. "What's with you today?" he asked, staring at her with his dark eyes. "You seem to be avoiding me. Did I say or do something that upset you?"

She bit her lip, unsure of what to say. "No," she finally mumbled, looking away from him. "It's just been a very long day and tomorrow's going to be even longer. It's probably not a good idea to stay up late talking." She glanced back at him and the look on his face told her that he didn't quite believe her excuse.

"I agree it's been a long day but after what happened this morning with Kimblee and just now with those two pieces of shit I want to make sure you're ok. Remember, I promised your father I would look after you."

"I'm fine," she said, brushing him off. "And you don't need to keep your promise to Father. I can take care of myself now."

He frowned. "I'm not doing it just because of Sensei. I'm doing it because I care about you and I don't want to see you get hurt. You mean a lot to me."

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard his words. Did he just say she meant a lot to him?

"You've been through quite a lot," he continued. "Especially the last few years. Both your parents are gone and you don't have any other family for support. Not to mention, you also have the burden of protecting Sensei's resear-" She held up her hand to stop him.

"I don't want your pity," she said curtly. So much for thinking he had feelings for her.

Roy looked at her with a confused look on his face. "Pity? I'm just saying that you've had a rough life and I want to make things easier for you! This has nothing to do with pity!"

"This is the path I chose for myself. It may not be the easiest path but it's what I chose and I will be responsible for the consequences of my actions. I don't need you to protect me!"

"You're being stubborn."

"Maybe, I am!" she said, her temper flaring. Taking a deep breath, she added, "I should go." She turned to leave but Roy spoke again.

"That revolver you're carrying… is it the same one I gave you years ago?"

She looked back at him in surprise. "Yes, it is," she said, pulling it out from its holster. "I carry it with me all time, just like you told me to before you left. Been very useful in more than one situation too."

"It's clearly doing a much better job protecting you than I am then."

Riza smiled slightly as her anger quickly dissipated. "I'm not seventeen anymore, Mr. Mustang. I can take care of myself now. That said, I'm very grateful to you for teaching me how to shoot and protect myself."

"I should've done more," she heard him mutter. "I was selfish leaving you to fend for yourself after Sensei died while I fulfilled my own dreams of becoming a State Alchemist. I should have brought you to East City with me or at least gone back to check on you during my time off."

His words touched her, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "Hindsight is 20/20. I wasn't upset that you left and you actually had the foresight to make sure I could take care of myself before you left so it wasn't like you abandoned me."

He looked up at her. "Riza…" he whispered. She took a step towards him.

"Please don't beat yourself up over this. And I'm sorry for getting mad at you earlier. I had no idea you were so worried about me."

"It's human nature to worry about people you care about," he told her.

She smiled. _That's sweet, _she thought to herself. Looking down at her watch, she noticed the time. "I really should go," she said. "It's getting late." Part of her didn't really want to leave but she knew she had to before she did something crazy or stupid.

"Let me walk you back to your tent. I want to make sure those two bastards aren't waiting to exact revenge on you," Roy said, getting up.

Riza grinned. "I doubt it. You scared them off pretty well. I'll be ok." She placed a hand on his shoulder and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Good night and thank you, Mr. Mustang." she whispered before pulling away.

"Riza, wait!" he called out to her but she quickly slipped out of the tent before he could stop her.

* * *

_**A/N: **__So sorry for the late update. Work's been crazy busy with lots of deadlines coming up and I had some family issues earlier this month that I had to attend to so I barely had time to write the past several weeks. Anyway, thank you for your patience and thanks to everyone who reviewed my previous chapter._


	11. Letters Part 2

_**A/N:**__ So sorry for another late update. Work's been insane. _

_Anyway, regarding this chapter. I've gotten quite a few reviews from people saying how they really liked seeing minor FMA characters making appearances in my story, which got me thinking about who else I could include and how. In the end I decided to give our soldiers in the desert a minor break and include a chapter that focused on a few other characters. Hope you enjoy it._

* * *

**Letters Part 2:**

_My darling Gracia,_

_Did I ever tell you how happy I am whenever the mail comes and I get a letter from you? They're more precious to me than all the money in the world. When I open your letter and smell the sweet scent of your perfume I'm reminded of how I'm the luckiest guy in the world! You have no idea how much you mean to me. It's really frustrating knowing that it could be many more months before we're together again. I want nothing more than to have you in my arms, your beautiful lips pressed against mine. Oh how I miss your kisses! Just thinking about them almost makes me want to hijack a jeep and drive it back to Central. Of course, the military doesn't like deserters and I can't let you or my country down no matter how much I question this war._

_You'll be disappointed to know that Roy still won't admit his feelings to Riza. I bug him all the time but he just brushes me off and tells me to mind my own business. He really has no idea how lucky he is. The bastard actually has his girl on the battlefield with him yet he still pretends they're just friends. While I would never want you to have to suffer out here in this hellhole I do envy how Roy gets to see Riza every day while we have to settle for letters and photos. I also know he cares for her as more than just a friend because I see it in the way he acts around her. Sometimes I just want to give him a big kick in the rear to get him to do something. Life's too short to be dallying about, especially in matters of love._

_But enough about him._

_I really hope this war will be over soon. Being apart from you for this long is absolute torture. I don't remember if I've told you this but I carry a photo of you with me all the time so you'll always be close to my heart and so I can whip it out whenever I want to see you or need a reminder of why I'm fighting here. Gracia…I love and miss you so much. I can't wait to see you again and I swear that I will do everything in my power to survive this war and come back to you. Please wait for me._

_Forever yours,_

_Maes_

_XOXOXOXO_

Gracia clutched the letter firmly against her chest, tears seeping out of her eyes. "Please be safe," she whispered. Receiving letters from Maes always brought a mix of emotions: joy at getting something from him, sadness that they were still apart, and fear that this letter could be the last one she'll ever receive. They'd been apart for months yet it still felt like he had boarded the train to Ishbal only last week.

She tried to smooth out the wrinkles on the sheet before re-reading it. There was no mention about the war itself in his letter but that was expected. She knew that Maes deliberately avoided writing about the battles he had been in because he didn't want her to worry but she had seen more than her fair share of badly injured soldiers that were brought back from the front to know that he was far from safe out there in the desert. Several of her friends had already lost parents, siblings, spouses, and or sweethearts in this war so she was all too familiar with the pain and grief the war has caused. She just had no idea how she would react if she ever got the news that Maes had died and she hoped she would never find out for a long time.

"There you are," called out a voice. Gracia looked up and saw Amy standing at the end of the hall with her arms full of white sheets. "Come on, Gracia. We need to finish packing these supplies so we can send them to the front."

"I'll be there in a minute," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Slipping the letter in her apron pocket, she quickly adjusted her nurse's uniform before running over to her friend.

"Everything ok?" asked Amy as she checked off items on her inventory list.

"Yeah. I just got a letter from my boyfriend," answered Gracia while she began folding the cotton sheets.

"Oh? What did it say if you don't mind me asking?"

"Just a bunch of romantic stuff like how much he misses me and how he can't wait for this war to be over."

"Aww…" Amy gushed. "How long have you two been together?"

"Almost a year."

"How did you two meet?" Amy asked while she placed the sheets into a large cardboard box.

"We met at a dance fundraiser for the war effort." Gracia smiled as she recalled that evening. "He came to my rescue from a mob of soldiers."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Rescue? What kind of crazy fundraiser were you at?"

Gracia laughed. "Ok. That didn't come out right. It was a dance where money collected would go towards buying supplies for the war."

"But you don't like dancing. So why were you there in the first place?"

"Julie wanted to go and begged me to go with her. You know how annoying and persistent she is so I eventually relented. Anyway, she disappeared almost as soon as we arrived to go dancing with the first uniformed man she saw, leaving me behind. Then a group of drunken soldiers came up to me and wouldn't leave me alone and that's when Maes showed up. He cut through the crowd and exclaimed, "There you are, darling! I've been looking all over for you!" before grabbing my hand and leading me away from the crowd and out onto the patio. When we were outside he introduced himself and apologized for being so brash. He had saw me from across the room and said I looked like I needed rescuing."

"So was it love at first sight?"

She smiled. "I guess you could say that. We ended up talking about random things and I remember feeling so comfortable around him even though we had just met. He has this natural ability to make people feel at ease around him that I love. Anyway, we talked for so long that we lost track of time and didn't realize the dance had ended until one of the organizers came outside and shooed us away." Gracia let out a small laugh at the memory. "Then Maes offered to walk me home."

"Let me guess. After he walked you home you two shared a passionate kiss in the moonlight?"

Gracia blushed. "No. That stuff only happens in movies. Maes just took me home, said goodnight, and then made sure I was safely inside before going home. Then two days later he showed up on my doorstep again saying he happened to be in the area and asked if I'd like to take a walk in the park with him and we've been together ever since."

Amy sighed. "How sweet. You're so lucky to have a guy like him."

Gracia smiled. "He's an amazing guy. I'm crazy about him."

"Does Maes have any brothers?"

"No. Just an older sister."

"Darn." Amy snapped her fingers in disappointment.

Gracia grinned as she folded the last of the sheets and handed them to Amy. She really was lucky to have a guy like Maes. She had dated other men in the past but not one of them could compare to him. Not only was he smart, kind and handsome, he also treated her with the utmost respect and love. 'A true gentleman' her mother had told her after he met her for the first time.

"So do I hear wedding bells in the future?" Amy smirked as she taped up the box and pushed it aside. Gracia couldn't help but blush.

"We've never talked about it and truthfully, all I really want right now is for him to be back in Central safe and sound. I don't want to jinx his safe return by thinking about marriage or our future." She sighed as she grabbed a few rolls of bandages and began packing them. "I'm really pathetic. Just the thought of Maes getting injured already freaks me out. I don't know how I would react if he…he…." She stopped and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

Amy gently patted her on the back. "It's ok…I know how you feel," she told her. "My brothers are also in the military. Will is fighting in Ishbal while Tom is stationed down in the South. Mother and I are constantly poring over the newspapers and listening to the radio for any information about them. If anything were to happen to either of them my family would be devastated but at the same time we're proud that they're serving their country and you should be too. Maes is putting his life on the line out in the middle of the desert so you and I and everyone else in this country can live in peace. You should be proud of that."

Gracia nodded in understanding. "I suppose…" she sniffed.

"Cheer up, Gracia. Maes probably wouldn't want to know you've been crying over something that hasn't and might not happen. You gotta be strong for him."

She smiled weakly. "You're right. I'm being silly crying over what ifs." Pulling out a handkerchief, she wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed. "Thanks."

"No problem. Just remember that I'm here if you ever need to talk or vent," Amy replied. Looking over at the mountain of medical supplies still lying around, she added, "Anyway, let's hurry up and finish packing all this stuff so we can send them out today. We can talk more during our break." Gracia nodded in agreement. Putting away her handkerchief, she continued her work all the while thinking about what to write in her next letter to Maes.

_Meanwhile, across town:_

"We've got mail from Roy!" shouted Vanessa, waving the letter as she came in through the door. The rest of the girls immediately stopped what they were doing.

"Yay!"

"What does it say?"

"Did he like the brownies we made?"

"Hurry up and open it!"

"You know, Ashley, patience is a virtue," teased Vanessa as she held the letter out to Madame Christmas.

"You can read it out loud, Vanessa. I'm busy at the moment," she said as she carefully wiped a wine glass. The bar would be opening soon and she wanted to make sure all the glassware was spotless.

Vanessa nodded and opened the letter. Clearing her voice, she began reading out loud.

_Dear Madame,_

_I hope you are all doing well. I wanted to let you know that I've received your care package. Thank you. The jerky and spices will definitely help make the bland food they serve here much more appetizing and the magazine was an unexpected surprise. Maes took an interest in it and is currently borrowing it so it may be a while before I get it back (assuming I get it back). As for the whiskey, I'm saving that for when the war ends. It'll make a very enjoyable celebratory drink._

_Riza also says thank you for her package. She was quite surprised to receive something in the mail yet she really likes the gifts you sent her. She asked me to write that the charm is doing its job quite well and that she's really enjoying the chocolates you sent her. The perfume is also very much appreciated but she said she can't wear it or else she'll attract even more unwanted attention from the men here._

_There's been a lot of activity here lately. The Fuhrer recently paid the troops a visit and the brass is pushing to finish this war once and for all. Our clashes with the Ishbalans are still extremely bloody with a high number of casualties on both sides but at the same time they don't seem to be putting up as much resistance as they used to. Maes believes it's probably because there aren't as many able bodied men left to fight or the Ishbalans have realized they cannot win and are retreating. We've been hearing reports that a lot of Ishbalans are fleeing to Aerugo and Xing as refugees. If these reports are true, then maybe this war really is ending. _

_My squad and I will be going out on a mission tomorrow. I'm not authorized to say what we're doing or where we're going but if all goes well the mission should last only a week. I'll write again once it's over. _

_Anyway, please tell the girls I said hi and thank you for the gifts._

_Sincerely,_

_Roy Mustang_

"Aww…He didn't mention anything about the brownies," pouted Sasha as Vanessa placed the letter down on the bar in front of Christmas.

"He probably didn't think they were any good and didn't want to hurt your feelings," teased Ashley. "Let's face it, Sasha. Cooking isn't your forte."

"Hmph," sulked Sasha, sticking her tongue out at Ashley.

"Why do you think Riza said she didn't want to attract more male attention?" asked Andrea, picking up the letter and scanning it. "I would think it's quite flattering to be surrounded by men vying for your attention."

"Good question. Maybe she's shy."

"Or perhaps they aren't any good looking men there to impress."

"Maybe it's actually Roy who doesn't want her to wear it because he doesn't want competition," joked Sasha. The rest of the girls giggled.

"Well he is the jealous type," admitted Vanessa. "I can actually see him getting upset if another guy were to hit on her, assuming he has a crush on her in the first place of course."

Andrea grinned. "I wonder if he really does have a crush on her. I think I'll have to bug him about it in my next letter."

"He's not going to admit it though. He never does."

"That's ok. I just like annoying him."

Madame Christmas stood there quietly rubbing at a stubborn stain while she listened to her girls' gossip about Roy and his potential love interest. She had told them about the history between the two a while back and they took an immediate interest in Riza. No doubt their interest was partially fueled by the fact that they finally had some dirt on their 'brother' and planned to exploit it in some way. It was rather amusing listening to them debate about his love life but when the conversation turned more sexual she decided it was time to put her two cents in. She coughed to get their attention.

"Going back to the original topic," she said, "I believe that Riza's decision to not wear the perfume is more due to safety than attracting a male." The girls all looked at her, somewhat confused. "Remember that life is different in a war zone. It's nothing like here in the city. If one of our clients get rowdy we can simply throw them out or call the police. Not so over there. Sexual assault is common during war. It's a dangerous place, especially for a woman and I'm not surprised Riza wouldn't want to attract more attention to herself." She placed the wine glass she was cleaning back under the table before continuing. "Don't forget that she is also a sniper in the military. Her work requires her to be hidden from the enemy and smelling of gardenias and orange blossoms that don't grow in the desert would give away her position."

The girls stood there silently for a moment before quietly murmuring.

"I never really thought about that."

"I guess we shouldn't have gotten her the perfume then."

"How do you know all this about life on the front, Madame?" asked Vanessa. "Did Roy tell you this?"

"I get to hear lots of interesting stories, especially from our military clients when they've had a few too many drinks to drink," she answered while wiping the countertop with a rag. "I also had a few friends who were in the military."

"What happened to them?" Vanessa asked. Christmas gave her a sad look and the girl quickly backed away. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she told her. "They selflessly gave their lives for this country." She sighed and looked off to the distance. "I hope Roy is right and the war really does end soon," she murmured to herself. She couldn't stand the thought of losing another person she cared about. Shaking her head, she turned back towards the girls. "Come on. Let's get back to work," she ordered them. "We open in twenty minutes and I want this place sparkling by then." They nodded and quickly continued their work.

* * *

Sara Rockbell wiped her brow with the back of her hand. It had been another difficult day treating patients around the clock and trying to stave off death with their ever-dwindling supply of medicine. Looking around their cramped makeshift hospital, she felt a sense of frustration. The place was packed with injured Ishbalans lying side by side on dusty blankets on the floor or sitting against the walls. Meanwhile, several volunteers were caring for the injured, feeding them and trying to make them more comfortable. She bit her lip as she wondered how much longer she and her husband could keep this hospital operational. They were already at their limit; they barely had any medicine left and she was exhausted from treating so many patients without break. They really couldn't afford to take in any more patients without jeopardizing the ones currently here yet more and more injured kept arriving every day.

She had just finished bandaging a patient's leg and was about to check on another when she heard a lot of squealing and laughing coming from outside. She smiled. It was nice to hear a child's laughter amidst the chaos of war. Just then, she heard the sound of wheels approaching their building. She frowned. Was it the military trying to force them to leave again? She thought they had made it very clear last time that they were not leaving until there were no more patients left to treat.

"Sara. It sounds like we have a visitor," said Urey who was busy stitching up a patient. "Can you go and meet him?"

"Sure," she replied. She quickly washed the blood off her hands before heading outside. A man with glasses and a ponytail was standing there next to a wagon surrounded by her youngest patients.

"Marcus!" she exclaimed.

"Hello, Sara," grinned Marcus. "Good to see you again."

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd pay you and Urey a visit." Turning his attention back to the children he handed a bag of candy to a young girl. "Here. Share this with the other kids." The little girl smiled and thanked him before running off to the back of the building with the rest of the children following her. "So, how's the hospital?" he asked.

"Not good. There's been an influx of patients lately so we're running out of supplies. We've had to perform surgeries without any anesthetics and make bandages from whatever we can find."

"I guess I came at the right time then," he said, stepping aside to show her several crates full of medical supplies in his wagon. She brought a hand up to her mouth.

"How did you manage to get all this past the blockade?"

"A whole lot of sweet talking and a small bribe," Marcus said with a wink. "Anyway, the medicine and equiplment isn't the only thing I brought. I also have something that you'll probably want to look at." He pulled out a dusty package of letters tied together with a piece of twine and handed it to her. She turned it over and stared at the hand drawn daisies and childish handwriting before shrieking out in joy.

"Sara! What's wrong?" asked Urey, running out of the building and up to his wife. She looked up at him with a big smile.

"It's from Winry," she whispered, showing him the letter. "It's from our little girl."

Urey looked at her in surprise. "Really? What did she write?"

"Hold on." She carefully extracted the letter from the rest of the mail and opened the envelope. She pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it before reading.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_How are you two? Granny, Den, and I are fine. Life really isn't the same without you here. It's a lot quieter in the house for starters. I'm guessing you must be really busy over there. We've been hearing a lot about the war on the radio and in the newspaper and it sounds pretty bad. _

_Granny's been pretty busy with automail orders right now too. I don't know if you've heard but there was a bombing here at the train station not too long ago. I was at school when the bomb went off and it was really scary. The whole building shook and everyone was panicking because we didn't know what was going on. A lot of people were injured in the blast and many required amputations. Since Granny's the best automail mechanic around here we've had a lot of customers coming in to be fitted with prosthetics. It's been so busy that I've been helping her with some of her automail repairs. Mostly just minor stuff but once in a while she'll let me do some more difficult repairs while she watched. In fact I did some maintenance on Den's automail yesterday. Den was really happy with it and gave me lots of kisses as a thank you. It feels really good seeing how our work can make all these people's lives better. _

_Al says hi. Ed is being a grouch as usual. They are still constantly poring over their alchemy books studying who knows what. I think they're obsessed. Granny says that they're acting more like their dad every day, which got Ed really mad. _

_Please come home soon. I miss you._

_Love,_

_Winry_

Sara smiled as she looked up from the letter. "Thank you, Marcus," she said. "You have no idea how much this means to us, bringing us supplies and letters from home."

Marcus grinned. "It was nothing."

"Whoa...You brought all this, Marcus?" said Urey as he inspected the crates. "You're a godsend!"

"I actually wanted to bring more but most of the available medical supplies in the area are being sent to the military. I had to practically beg the suppliers to put aside some of their inventory for me and then I had to bribe a few soldiers to get them across checkpoints. But it's a small price to pay for saving lives."

"Well we're forever in your debt. We've been in desperate need of medicine. Let's hurry and bring this stuff inside."

Sara watched Urey and Marcus carry the crates inside the building before looking back down at the mail in her hands. There were about a dozen letters, most from Winry but she recognized a few from Pinako and about two from friends. Smiling, she closed her eyes and clutched the letters to her heart.

_Just wait a little longer, Winry. We'll be home soon._

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I promise I won't take this long to post the next chapter. Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed._


	12. Back at the Camp

_**A/N:**__ And we're back in Ishbal. This chapter is a little on the short side because I'm setting up for something but I hope everyone still enjoys it._

* * *

**Back at the Camp:**

Roy slowly walked into camp with his squad, utterly exhausted from their mission in the Cerna region. They had been sent there to rout out the masterminds behind the terrorist attacks in Amestris with specific orders from the brass to capture the suspects alive for interrogations and to confiscate any evidence. Unfortunately, the mission was only partially successful. After engaging the enemy in a firefight for several hours, they finally entered the building to find the insurgents dead or dying and the evidence in flames. His men were able to salvage a handful of papers from the fires but it was clear that the files the military were most interested in were gone. Roy sighed. He was not looking forward to giving his report to the generals.

"Ah, Major Mustang. You're back."

Roy turned and saw Generals Raven and Blackburn sitting inside an open tent enjoying a cup of tea. _Shit,_ he thought before saluting.

"How did everything go?" General Raven asked before taking a sip from his cup.

"We found the enemy in an abandoned building on the outskirts of the Cerna region. Unfortunately, they refused to surrender peacefully so we were forced to engage them in combat. After we finally subdued them, we discovered that they had already destroyed any documents relating to their planned attacks. We were only able to recover this," He pulled out the papers from his canvas bag and handed it to General Blackburn.

"I see," mumbled Blackburn while he scanned the pages. "And were you able to take any prisoners?"

"Only one, sir." Roy motioned for one of his subordinates to come forward. A private walked up to them, pulling a bound Ishbalan man behind him. "We found him unconscious amongst the rubble near the compound but he refuses to talk."

"Hmm…" murmured Raven, stroking his beard. He got up and circled the prisoner. "Who are you and what is your role in these terrorist attacks?" he demanded.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he stared angrily at the two generals before finally turning his head away in contempt.

"Answer me!" Raven ordered, standing in front of the man. The Ishbalan turned his head back to face him and grinned. Then, before anyone could react, he spat in Raven's face.

Raven took a step back, a look of surprise clearly etched on his face. Roy resisted the urge to smirk at the general's reaction. He quickly looked down at his boots until he could regain his composure. When he looked up again, Raven was pulling a handkerchief from his pocket.

"You piece of shit…you're going to pay for that," he muttered as he wiped his face. Turning to the private, he ordered, "Throw him in prison with the rest of those Ishbalan dogs! I'll have Gran deal with him later."

"Yes sir," the soldier answered. He quickly left, dragging their prisoner with him.

"Fucking bastard," Roy heard Raven muttered as he sat back down. "We need to hurry up and exterminate them all."

Blackburn chuckled. "Patience, Raven. Their time will come soon enough," Turning to Roy, he said, "I'll pass these documents to the rest of the generals. That'll be all, Major Mustang."

"Yes, sir."

Roy continued his way through the camp with the rest of his squad, leaving the generals to finish their tea. As they moved deeper into the camp his men slowly dispersed until he was finally alone, at least as alone as he could get amongst a sea of strangers. He gave a sigh of relief. The past week had been long and stressful and he was glad to be back amongst his fellow soldiers.

Looking around, he wondered where Maes and Riza were. He wanted to talk to them, particularly Riza. He had been thinking about her constantly; wondering if those two bastard privates who attacked her were ever disciplined, remembering their conversation afterwards and her kiss….

Her kiss….

Riza's kiss had plagued his mind all week. He didn't know why. He'd kiss other women before; yet, none of those kisses had affected him this much and this was only a kiss on the cheek! Perhaps it was because it came from her, the one girl who he never thought he'd have a chance with. The one girl who never showed the slightest indication that she saw him as anything more than just a friend in all the years he had known her.

He couldn't help but wonder why she kissed him. Did she actually have feelings for him? Or was it nothing more than a response to him kissing her on the cheek the previous night? If it was the former then what was he going to do about it? Somehow, the thought that their friendship could be something more seemed farfetched; yet, his heart had other ideas. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't suppress his feelings for her. Every time they were together, his feelings for her would grow stronger. There was just something about her that drew him to her. She wasn't like any other woman he met; she was unique and he loved that about her.

Looking down at the transmutation circle on his gloves, he wondered if she saw him as anything more than just a friend and confidant. They had known each other for a long time yet he felt there was still so much about her that he didn't know. They had talked many times about their hopes and dreams for their country but he couldn't remember any time where she shared her dreams for her own future with him. Did she plan on staying in the military? Travel the world? Or did she just want to settle down and have a family?

He smacked himself on the forehead. What was he doing? She was a young woman free to do whatever she wanted. She didn't need him to protect her anymore. So why did he care so much about what Riza wanted to do with her life?

_Because you want to be a part of it,_ a small voice in his head whispered.

He clenched his fists. There was no denying that he wanted her in his life. The time they spent together here had made him realize what a foolish mistake it was for him leaving her behind all the years ago and he damn well wasn't going to repeat that mistake again. Looking around, he made his decision. Once he dropped off his stuff in his tent he would go look for her. He had to find out exactly how she felt about him and in the process he was going to confess his feelings to her. If he ended up making a fool out of himself then so be it. At least there would be no more speculating.

"Hey! Long time no see!" shouted a voice suddenly. Roy quickly looked around to find the source of the voice and smiled when he saw Maes's cheerful face appear from the crowd.

"Hey Hughes," he greeted his best friend.

"Good to see you're still alive. So how did the mission go?"

"Not good but not bad either," he answered as they walked towards his tent. "We raided their hideout but the insurgents managed to destroy pretty much all their plans for their next attack. We managed to salvage a few pieces of paper but I've looked at them and I doubt they'll be of any use to intelligence. We were also able to capture an Ishbalan warrior but I'm not optimistic that they'll get any information out of him either."

"Well you tried. It could have been much worse."

"I know. I'm just glad we were able to reach our objectives with minimal casualties. That and the fact that I don't have to do the interrogations."

"Who's doing it?"

"Colonel Gran."

Maes whistled. "I already feel sorry for the prisoner. Gran can be a very intimidating man when he wants to be."

"Then it's a good thing you're on his side then," Roy grinned. "Seriously though, I doubt Gran will have an easy time extracting any information from the prisoner. I've been present during one or two interrogations here and I've noticed that the Ishbalans are incredibly resilient. They rather be tortured to death than divulge any information that could help us annihiliate them."

Maes nodded. "They're dedicated. That's what makes them such a formidable enemy and why this war has lasted this long."

"Yeah." Roy was silent for a moment before asking, "So how are things here?"

Maes scratched his head. "The usual. We just finished securing Sectors 29 and 30. We'll probably be moving onto the Kanda or Dahlia district soon."

Roy nodded. The campaign was starting to move faster which meant that it would probably be over sooner than he had originally anticipated. "Any word on when that'll be and who is going in first?"

"Nope. Us lowly soldiers are not privy to that sort of information," Maes answered as they reached the tent. "The generals are rather tight lipped about their next plan of attack."

"I see."

"Anyway, I have some good news."

"Oh?"

"I got a letter from Gracia yesterday!" Maes grinned as he quickly pulled out an envelope from his coat pocket. "Wanna hear what she wrote?"

Roy groaned. "No thanks," he muttered before entering his tent. Maes quickly followed in after him.

"Suit yourself," he said while pulling the letter out of the envelope and re-reading its contents. Roy noticed a faint whiff of perfume as he dropped his bag on the floor. "You know something?" Maes said, not looking up from the letter, "It's great being in love with such an amazing woman."

Roy rolled his eyes._ Here we go again,_ he thought.

"Seriously Roy, I never really knew true love until I met Gracia," Maes continued, oblivious to his best friend's annoyance. "She's like a gift from heaven. I'm so lucky to have her."

"Yes, you've mentioned it several times already. I get it. You're crazy about her."

Maes looked up at him. "You know, you really need to find a girlfriend so we can go on double dates when this war is over."

"Sure, whatever," Roy mumbled. He flopped down on his cot and sighed loudly as his head hit the pillow. After a week of sleeping on the hard ground it was so nice to lie down on something that wasn't rock.

"Tired?"

"You have no idea," he mumbled, rolling over. Part of him wanted to just curl up and sleep but the other part kept nagging him to get his ass up and find Riza like he originally said he would. "Hughes," he called out.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Riza?"

"Not in a few days. I think she's been hanging out with the other snipers. The last time I talked to her she looked a little sad though. You two didn't have a fight or something did you?"

"No," answered Roy, slightly annoyed.

"Good. So when are you going to get your ass in gear and finally admit your feelings to her?"

Roy's eyes widened in surprised. Was Maes psychic?

"Look, I know it's none of my business but as your best friend, I should warn you that I've noticed several soldiers who seem to be taking an interest in her." he continued. "You better make a move before someone else does. Even Gracia says so."

Roy bolted up. "What? You told your girlfriend about me and Riza?"

Maes shrugged. "It's much more interesting than telling her what my daily kill count is or how nasty the food rations are. I've told her stories about the pranks we played in the academy in the past and she seemed interested when I told her I saw you again on the battlefield."

Roy threw up his hands. "Fine." Groaning, he dragged himself out of the cot. "I guess I should go find her then," he muttered. He still had no idea what he was going to say to her but he'd figure that out later.

"Wait…so you're going to take my advice?" asked Maes, wide-eyed.

"I never said that. I just said I was going to go find her." As he walked past, Maes suddenly grabbed him by the hood of his coat. "What the fuck are you doing?" Roy snapped, twisting out of his grasp.

"You're not going to talk to her like this are you?"

"What the hell is wrong with how I am right now?"

Maes gave him a look. "Roy…you stink. When was the last time you actually showered?"

Roy stopped and sniffed himself. Sure enough, he reeked of sweat and filth. Maes smirked at his reaction. "Now I don't claim to be an expert in women but I can pretty much guarantee you that you won't impress a girl smelling like a wet gym sock. In fact, I've been told it's a major turn off."

"Alright alright! I'll go take a shower!" exclaimed Roy, throwing up his hands. He quickly grabbed a towel and some toiletries before walking out of his tent towards the shower stalls with Maes following right after him.

* * *

Roy shivered as cold water ran over him. _Just my fucking luck, _he thought before mentally cursing at all the soldiers who had showered before him and used up all the available hot water. He hated taking cold showers, especially after being out in the middle of nowhere for several days and having sand in places he didn't even know sand could get into. All he wanted was a nice, hot shower. Was that too much to ask? Grumbling, he quickly rinsed the soap off his body and turned off the faucet. Grabbing the towel hanging nearby, he dried himself and wrapped the towel around his waist before stepping out of the shower room.

"All done?" asked Maes when he walked into the change room. He had been sitting there on a bench reading a book.

"Yeah," Roy said, dropping his toiletries into his backpack. He picked up his spare uniform that was folded neatly next to Maes and began to dress. Maes quickly turned away.

"Something wrong?" Roy asked while he put his boxers on.

"Nah. Just don't feel like watching you change and being called a pervert. I am your best friend and all but there are still certain things about you I rather not see or know about."

"Afraid to see who's bigger?" Roy asked with a smirk.

"I'm quite secure with my masculinity thank-you-very-much. And Gracia seems to be quite satis- " Roy quickly cut him off.

"I don't need to hear about your sex life, Hughes. There are some things I prefer staying ignorant about too."

Maes grinned. "Glad we got that sorted out then."

"Indeed," Roy mumbled as he sat down to put his boots on. He glanced over at the book in Maes's possession. "What are you reading?"

"Oh this?" Maes held up the book so Roy could read the title. "It's a compilation book of some of the most famous criminal cases in Amestris and how they were solved. It's quite fascinating."

"I didn't know you were interested in that stuff."

"I wasn't really before. I was just talking to Lieutenant Colonel Vultee about a recent case he finished. You know he's in Investigations, right? Anyway, he lent this book to me saying I might find it interesting since I was curious about the investigation process.

"You're not thinking of a career in Investigations now are you?"

"You know, that might not be a bad idea. I've always enjoyed mysteries. What do you think?"

"I think it might suit you. That said, it is a very demanding job."

"No worse than being a State Alchemist," Maes grinned. "I'll think about it. Not like I need to make a decision right away. I need to survive this bloody war first."

Roy nodded in agreement as he put on his coat. Running a hand through his wet hair, he asked, "So how do I look?"

"Like a lovesick soldier looking for his sweetheart…Just kidding. You look fine."

"Good. Now if you excuse me, there's someone I need to find."

"Good luck!" Maes called out as Roy grabbed his backpack. He raised his hand and waved as he walked out of the room.

_Thanks. I'll need it._

* * *

_**A/N: **__Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can._


	13. New Faces

**New Faces:**

"_Well I'm off," Roy said, grabbing his rucksack and swinging it onto his shoulder. "Take care of yourself ok? And don't forget to contact me if you need anything." Riza nodded, unsure of what to say. She was never good at goodbyes and this was no exception. While she watched him walk down the steps towards the gate a small voice in her head scolded her._

_What are you waiting for? Give it to him!_

"_Wait!" she called out. He stopped and turned around. She quickly ran up to him. "Here," she said, shoving a small package in his hands. He opened it and pulled out a pair of white gloves._

"_Sensei's gloves…why are you giving this to me?"_

"_Because…Father would have wanted you to have them."_

"_I can't take this."_

_She gave him a stern look. "Take them," she ordered. "Not like I can use them. I don't know flame alchemy." Looking down at her feet, she added, "Use them to pass the State Alchemist exam… so you can fulfill your dream of protecting this country."_

_Roy was silent for a moment. "Alright then," he said, pocketing the gloves. "Thank you."_

_Riza smiled. "You're welcome."_

"_Well, I guess this is goodbye." He held out his hand. She took it and they shook hands. _

"_Have a safe trip, Mr. Mustang."_

"_Thanks."_

_He turned and walked out of the gate and on to the dirt road. She stood there, watching him before quickly running up to the gate and shouting, "You better come visit when you become a State Alchemist! I want to see that silver pocket watch you keep talking about!"_

_Roy grinned and shouted back. "I will!" He gave a small wave before he disappeared behind a bend in the road._

Riza stared off into the horizon, lost in thought. It had been days since Roy and his squad had left for their mission and she was starting to feel a bit anxious. Had they completed their mission yet? Was it a success or a bust? She was a little annoyed that he never told her about the assignment before he left. He just disappeared and it wasn't until she talked to Maes that she realized he was gone. And it was a good thing Maes had told her too; otherwise she would have thought he was avoiding her. Sighing, she wondered when he would be back.

"You ok?" asked Rebecca, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah," she said moodily.

"Cheer up, Riza. He'll be back soon."

"I know."

Fingering the jade charm on her chain, she wondered how he was doing. It felt odd not seeing his flame attacks on the battlefield and not being able to talk to him. While she still had Rebecca and other soldiers to talk to it wasn't the same. Roy understood her better than everyone else and for some reason, she always felt more relaxed around him. Funny that she never really realized how much she missed his company until now. She had missed him when they parted years ago-right after her father died - but at the time she simply assumed that the empty feeling she felt was just loneliness. Now she knew it was more than that and she wanted see him again.

_HONK! HONK!_

The sound of a car horn nearby quickly brought her back to reality. She looked up and noticed several jeeps filled with soldiers driving through the camp.

"Ooh…Fresh meat," nudged Rebecca. "I hope there's some cute ones," Riza couldn't help but laugh while shaking her head.

"You do know that there's more to a guy than looks right?"

"Of course. The size of his bank account is equally as important." Riza rolled her eyes.

"I hope you know that the odds of finding a single, young, rich, and handsome man out here is pretty slim. You might have better luck winning the lottery."

Rebecca stuck out her tongue. "Well excuse me for having standards." Looking back over at the soldiers disembarking from the jeeps, she exclaimed, "That guy over there is pretty cute! And check out the muscles on that one! Don't you think he looks hot?"

Riza looked over at where Rebecca was pointing. There were indeed several very good- looking men but she wasn't interested in checking any of them out. Her thoughts were still on a certain dark haired man.

"I wonder how many of them are single…" Rebecca mused.

"Maybe you should go and ask."

"Yeah right. That would be an awkward conversation. 'Hi, I'm Cadet Rebecca Catalina. So which one of you boys is single?' Knowing my luck, all the good ones are already taken."

"You'll never know for certain until you ask."

"Yeah, but I also don't want to look desperate."

Riza couldn't help but snicker at Rebecca's comment. "Trust me, you're far from that. If you really were that desperate for a boyfriend you wouldn't be so picky."

"Whatever," Rebecca muttered before turning her attention back to the newcomers. A grin quickly formed on her face. "Ooh…now that one is easy on the eyes.

"Hmm…? Which one?" Riza asked.

"The tall blond next to the slightly chubby redheaded soldier," Rebecca pointed. "I'm liking what I see so far. He's tall, good-looking, and-"

"And smoking," Riza cut in. "You hate smokers."

Rebecca frowned. "Damn it! There's always something wrong with them!"

"There's nothing wrong with them. They just don't meet your requirements for the perfect boyfriend."

"I'm not looking for the perfect boyfriend," she protested. "Just a decent one that's good looking, caring, funny, relatively well-off, and doesn't have any major vices. Is that too much to ask?"

"You tell me."

Rebecca gave her a dirty look. Riza grinned. She was about to say something else when voices nearby interrupted her.

"I'm starving! Where did they say the mess hall was again?"

"Somewhere over there I think."

"Hope there's something decent. I'm sick of eating nothing but rations."

"Shit…they're coming towards us," Rebecca hissed, grabbing her arm.

"Maybe they heard you."

"I'm not that loud!"

"That's what you think…"

Rebecca gave her another dirty look before turning around just when the two men approached them.

"Excuse me. Could you tell us where the mess hall is? asked the blond.

"Uh…yeah," replied Rebecca. "Just go straight down this path, then turn right at the stables and left at the first aid station. Then keep walking until you see the big tent on your left."

"Great! Thanks!"

"You're welcome. So…are you two new here? I don't think I've seen you around here before."

The blond soldier grinned. "You could say that. We were just sent here today. Before that we were stationed over at the southernmost tip of the city." He held out his hand. "I'm Cadet Jean Havoc by the way and this is Cadet Heymans Breda."

"Cadet Rebecca Catalina," said Rebecca, taking his hand. "And this is my friend Cadet Riza Hawkeye." Riza waved hello.

"Nice to meet another fellow cadet," said Breda, shaking their hands. "So how long have you been out here?"

"Oh… couple months… Seven months? Or is it eight now?" Rebecca looked over at her.

"Almost six months," Riza answered. "We were pretty much sent here at the beginning of the academy year."

"Really?" asked Rebecca. "Only six? Seemed longer."

"That's still quite a bit of time," commented Havoc. "You must've seen more than your fair share of fighting then. We've only been here for two months and we've already seen enough to haunt us for a lifetime."

"Same. I seriously can't wait for this war to end so I can get out of here."

Riza smiled while she listened to Rebecca and Havoc's conversation. They seemed to be getting along quite well despite Rebecca's earlier reservations about striking up conversation with strangers. Laughing at a joke Breda just made, she turned to grab something from her backpack when she saw him. Her heart skipped a beat. Roy was standing several meters away talking to another soldier.

_He's back_! she thought excitedly.

She waited eagerly for him to finish his conversation with the other soldier but was disappointed when he turned and walked away. She frowned. Did he not see her?

"Excuse me," she said, scrambling up. "I gotta go. There's someone I need to talk to." She quickly grabbed her stuff and ran off into the crowd of soldiers.

* * *

Rebecca watched as her best friend ran off, leaving her alone._ What the hell was that about?_ she thought.

"Your friend seems to be in a hurry," remarked Havoc.

"Yeah. I've never seen her like that before. She's usually very calm. Even on the battlefield. The only time I've seen her this anxious is…" she stopped and grinned when she finally realized why Riza left.

Havoc and Breda stared at her. "Is…." they repeated, waiting for her continue.

Rebecca coughed. "Nothing. I was just trying to say that Riza isn't your average soldier. In fact, she can be quite intimidating."

"How so?"

"Well…You heard about that ace sharpshooter in the war?"

"Yeah," answered Breda. "Rumor has it that he can hit his targets with lethal accuracy from over 1,500 meters away."

"Yup. That's her," Rebecca quipped. Both men's jaws dropped.

"What? She's the Hawk's eye?"

"No way! She's only a cadet! Like us."

"Best sniper in all of Amestris," she boasted.

"But she's a woman…" muttered Havoc.

Rebecca's eyes narrowed. "What? You saying that women can't shoot?"

"Uhh…that's not what I meant."

Rebecca could feel a vein pop in her head.

* * *

Roy wandered around aimlessly, wondering what he should do next. He had just walked all over the camp, searching for Riza in hopes of talking to her privately. She wasn't in her tent or her usual places so it took a while before he finally found her with Rebecca and two male soldiers he didn't recognize. They seemed to be having a good time and Roy couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when he saw Riza laugh at a joke one of them made. She looked quite happy and he didn't want to interrupt their conversation so he decided to leave quietly.

As he made his way back to his tent, he hoped he wouldn't bump into Maes. He didn't want to listen to his teasing at the moment and he was starting to question whether it was even a good idea to tell Riza how he felt. He paused. Those men weren't the ones Maes was talking about who were interested in her were they? He felt his jealousy flare up again at the thought of another guy trying to steal her from him. Steal her…what was he thinking? She wasn't his to begin with … at least not yet. He was hoping all that would change when he talked to her. He gritted his teeth in frustration as he argued with himself. Who was he kidding? Why would she want him when there were plenty of other good-looking men chasing after her.

"Major Mustang!"

A female voice called out behind him. He turned and saw Riza running up to him. "You're back…" she said, a little breathlessly when she finally reached him.

"Yeah," he said. "We just came back just over an hour ago."

"I'm glad…" she said, a small smile on her face. "I was starting to get worried." He smiled.

"I was actually hoping to see you."

"Really?" she asked. She sounded surprise.

"Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about something but when I saw you talking with your friends, I didn't want to impose."

"Oh. They're actually not my friends. We just met them a few minutes ago. They just arrived at the camp and were asking for directions to the mess hall."

Roy felt his heart leap. They were only asking for directions? So they weren't flirting with her and Rebecca? He felt a weight lifted off him and he silently thanked whatever deity was watching over him for giving him a second chance.

"So how did your mission go?" she asked.

He smiled. "It was-"

A loud shriek suddenly pierced the air, causing them to both jump.

"YOU MISOGYNISTIC BASTARD!"

Both Roy and Riza quickly turned around. They could see Rebecca off in the distance shaking her fists and shouting at the two soldiers who looked like they wished they were anywhere else but there.

"What the hell happened over there?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Riza, looking as equally surprised as he was, "But she's definitely pissed about something. I better go calm her down. Excuse me, Mr. Mustang." Roy watched as she quickly ran over to her a friend. Rebecca looked like she was ready to punch the blond soldier in the face.

"Why I oughta -"

"Rebecca!" she shouted. Rebecca turned around. "What's going on?"

Rebecca pointed a finger at Havoc. "This sexist pig said that women couldn't shoot!"

"Hey! I never said that! Don't start putting words in my mouth!"

"Come on," Riza said, pushing Rebecca away. "You need to calm down for a bit." Rebecca gave the men a scary look before walking away with Riza.

Roy couldn't help but smirk as he watched what happened. The two soldiers were still huddled together, however Roy could see clearly on their faces that they were relieved to no longer be facing Rebecca's wrath. While he knew Riza's friend could be quite loud, even he was a little surprised at her violent outburst.

"She's quite a firecracker isn't she?" he said, approaching the men. They both looked up at him.

"Yeah. With an extremely short fuse too," grinned the blond soldier. Roy laughed.

"I'm Major Roy Mustang," he said, holding out his hand.

"Cadet Jean Havoc."

"Cadet Heymans Breda."

"Are you new on the battlefield?"

"Sorta. We arrived in Ishbal two month ago but our unit was deployed over in the Anano region during that time. We were ordered to come here a few days ago along with several other units."

_Interesting. This explains why there's more soldiers here. The military must be planning a large scale attack._ "So whose command are you under?"

"Colonel Handley, Sir," they replied.

Roy nodded. "I know him. He's a good soldier and an excellent leader."

The men grinned. "Yeah. We're really fortunate to be under his command," Breda said. "He is-" A large growl interrupted him. Breda quickly grabbed his stomach. "Sorry," he mumbled while his stomach let out another large gurgle. Roy tried not to laugh.

"Sounds like you two better go to the mess hall. The food isn't great but it'll definitely fill you."

"Yes, sir." They saluted quickly before running off. Roy shook his head before walking over in the general direction where Riza and Rebecca had walked off. When he couldn't see any sign of them he stopped and pondered his options. He could continue looking for Riza but he didn't feel like searching the entire camp for her again. _I guess I'll just wait by her tent and hope she shows us, _he thought as he made his way towards where the sniper tents were.

* * *

"Okay…Deep breaths." ordered Riza. "In…" she said, breathing deeply. "And out", she continued, while slowly exhaling.

Rebecca glared at her. "I don't need you to show me how to breathe. I've been doing that since the day I was born."

"I'm trying to calm you down!" Riza snapped back. "Thanks to your little scene back there everybody probably thinks you're crazy now."

"Hmph!"

"What the hell happened anyway?"

Rebecca frowned. "I was telling them about your sniping skills and that jerk Jean said you couldn't possibly be the Hawk's eye because you're a woman."

"So you got mad and threatened to castrate them?"

"Pretty much."

"Well I'm pretty sure it was a misunderstanding. They don't seem like the chauvinist type."

"How do you know? You only met them for like ten minutes!"

"I just have a feeling. That said, I'm glad to know you'll go that far to defend a friend's honor."

"Technically he was also insulting me because I'm a sniper too," Rebecca pouted. Riza couldn't help but smirk.

"Sometimes people say stupid things without thinking. I'm sure he didn't mean to insult all the women in the military. They seem like nice guys."

"If you say so."

"I also think you may have overreacted a bit."

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did. Anyway, I gotta go. Stay here until you calm down."

"Hey! Where are you going?" Rebecca called out but she didn't hear her. She ran back to where they were earlier but Roy was already gone. She frowned as she wondered where he could have gone.

_He probably went back to his tent, _she thought as she turned and quickly headed in another direction. She would wait for him there.

* * *

_**A/N: **__Okay….I know a lot of people were eagerly anticipating the confession scene however I wanted to introduce Havoc and Breda into the story first. Just bear with me. It'll be in the next chapter. I promise!_

_I actually debated for a while on whether to include Havoc and Breda in the story since we don't really know if they served in Ishbal. I decided in the end to include them since it's always nice to have more characters to work with and since I didn't find anything that said they never were in Ishbal._

_Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed._


	14. Becoming More than Friends

_**A/N: **__A short chapter this time but I'm sure none of you mind since I finally have the much awaited confession scene! Hope it was worth the wait._

* * *

**Becoming More than Friends:**

Riza skillfully weaved her way through the throng of soldiers as she ran through the camp towards Roy's tent. _Only a little further,_ she told herself as waited impatiently for a convoy to pass before continuing her way. As she ran up the street she wondered what Roy wanted to talk to her about. Based on his tone of voice it sounded important. Perhaps he was being sent back to East City? No. It couldn't be that. They needed him on the battlefield along with all the other State Alchemists. Maybe they were sending him on another mission. A much longer mission this time. She really hoped it wasn't that either. While she mulled over what Roy might want to talk to her about she failed to notice a man suddenly stepping out in front of her and nearly collided with him.

"Oh hey!" Maes greeted her. "Looks like someone is in a hurry."

"Good evening, Captain," Riza said, catching her breath.

"So what are you doing over here? Aren't the sniper living quarters over on the other side of the camp?"

"Yes, but…" she stopped and looked around. "Captain, have you by any chance seen Major Mustang?"

Maes's smile disappeared. "He's not with you?"

She shook her head. "We were separated. I was heading over to his place to see if he was there."

Maes frowned. "I just passed by there and I didn't see him."

"Oh," Riza said, disappointed. Where could he possibly be then?

Maes noticed the disappointed look on her face. "You know," he said, "I bet he's probably looking for you too. How about you head over to his tent and wait there while I go look for him. It'll be better than having both of you running around the camp and missing each other."

"Are you sure? I don't want to trouble you."

Maes waved her off. "It's no trouble at all. I was going to write a letter to Gracia but I have all night to do that. I can spare an hour to help a friend. Besides, I have a pretty good knack at finding Roy."

She smiled. "Alright then. Thank you."

"No problem."

Riza quickly continued her way to Roy's tent while Maes walked off in the opposite direction. When she finally reached the tent she stood outside, wondering if it really was ok to enter without permission. _He probably won't mind if I come in,_ she finally convinced herself before gently pulling back the flaps and stepping inside. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness before carefully making her way towards the other end of the room. Fumbling around, she turned on the kerosene lamp and sat down on the bed. _I guess I just sit here and wait_, she thought as she looked around for something to occupy herself in the meantime. Spying a book sitting next to the lamp, she picked it up and examined it. _Cryptanalysis: The Art of Code-breaking,_ she read. She shrugged. It wasn't her preferred choice of reading but it was better than nothing she thought as she opened the book and began reading the first chapter.

* * *

Roy grumbled as he walked around the camp. This was not how he planned on spending his evening. He had waited by Riza's tent for over half an hour before finally getting frustrated and decided to just walk around in hopes of running into her. Unfortunately, he still hadn't seen any sign of her and nobody he talked to had seen her either.

_Damn it! Where the hell did she go?_

He was just wondering where he should go next when he saw Maes walking up to him.

"Yo," Maes called out. "Riza's been looking for you."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "You saw her? When and where?"

"Over an hour ago. She was heading over to your place. I told her to stay there and offered to go look for you instead."

_Damn it! She was there all this time? No wonder I couldn't find her._

"She seemed to be a little anxious," Maes added with a smirk. "I hope it's not because you chickened out and tried to walk away before talking to her.

"No," scowled Roy. "We talked briefly. But then Rebecca interrupted us by having a conniption and Riza had to go calm her down."

"Rebecca had a hissy fit? Over what?"

"I don't really know but she scared two cadets shitless over it. It was actually rather amusing now that I think back on it."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Anyway, I better go talk to Riza. Thanks for telling me where she is."

"No problem."

Roy turned to leave but before he was able to take two steps Maes called out again.

"Hey Roy?"

He stopped. "Yeah?"

"You better fucking tell her. Otherwise you leave me no choice but to do it for you and I'll make sure to make it as embarrassing as possible," Maes said with an evil grin.

Roy couldn't help but smirk. Knowing Maes, he would follow through on his threat. "Don't worry," he said, waving him off. "I was starting to get sick of you annoying me about it anyway."

"Good," Maes shouted back as he walked away. "Just don't screw up!"

_Thanks for the moral support,_ Roy thought sarcastically before quickly walking back to his place. As he approached his tent, he noticed a light glowing inside. Pulling back the tent flaps, he couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of him. Riza was curled up on his bed, fast asleep. Lying next to her was his book. He picked it up and gently placed it on the crate next to the cot. Bending down over her, he smiled as he brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. She looked so sweet and serene, like the sensei's daughter that he used to know, not the deadly sharpshooter that she was now. She stirred slightly at his touch but didn't awaken. He debated whether to wake her or let her sleep before finally deciding on the former.

"Riza," he whispered, gently shaking her. She groaned softly. He shook her again. This time a little harder. "Riza, wake up," he murmured again. She shot up, pulling out her revolver and pointing it at him. He quickly took a step back.

"Oh, Mr. Mustang. It's just you," she mumbled, clearly still half asleep. "I'm so sorry," she apologized, putting the revolver back in its holster. "I-I must've fallen asleep while reading your book."

"That's alright." He sat down on the cot next to her. "I'm actually surprised you tried to read it. I didn't think it was something you were interested in."

"Well I needed something to kill time with and it happened to be sitting there."

"So how far did you get?"

She yawned. "Not far. Probably just the first eight pages. It was rather boring."

He smirked. "Explains why I found you sleeping then." He thought he saw her blush but he wasn't certain if it was just the lighting from the lamp. "So what happened over there between Rebecca and those two cadets anyway?"

"Oh, one of them said something that Rebecca mistook as an insult and she went a little overboard. I tried to calm her down but she's probably still sulking."

"Oh."

They sat there in awkward silence before Riza spoke again. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about earlier?' she asked.

"Umm…." Roy mumbled, running his hand through his hair nervously. _Come on, Roy. Don't chicken out now._ "There's something that's been weighing on my mind for a while that I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"Well, I…umm…" _Dammit! Why does this have to be so hard?_ He took a deep breath to calm himself before turning to face her. "Riza," he said solemnly, "I want you to be honest about this. What do you think about me?"

She looked surprised. "Umm…well…you're smart, talented in alchemy, caring, idealistic…maybe a bit lazy but then nobody's perfect," she answered as she counted on her fingers. Roy wanted to smack himself on the forehead. That wasn't what he meant. "You can be a little cocky too at times," she added, oblivious to his reaction.

He coughed. "That wasn't exactly what I meant. I mean do you see me as just a friend or…" He could feel his heart banging against his ribcage. "Or something more?"

She quickly looked down at the floor. " This is about the kiss last week isn't it?"

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't but-"

"Please forget about it, Mr. Mustang. I don't really know why I did that. I guess I was just emotional after such a long day and wasn't thinking clearly. I'm sorry for troubling you."

Roy stared at her. Did it really mean nothing to her? Nothing at all? He felt a little hurt and confused. He had sincerely hoped that she had at least some feelings for him. Was it even worth it to tell her his feelings now? He didn't want to jeopardize their friendship if he knew she didn't share his feelings. _Unless…_ he thought as something clicked inside his head while he watched her fidget with the twine wrapped around her rifle.

"You still haven't answered my question," he finally said.

"What?" She looked up at him in surprise.

"You never answered my question," he repeated. "All you said was to forget about the kiss because you weren't thinking straight that night. I can understand that since I've done more than my fair share of impulsive things but I didn't ask you why you gave me a kiss on the cheek that night. I asked you if you see me as more than just a friend."

"I-I don't know," she stammered. "I umm… never really thought about it." He noticed her blushing and grinned. He knew it. She probably did have at least some feelings for him after all.

"For someone who said she never thought about it you sure are acting strangely. Makes me think you're hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything!" she retorted.

"Really? Then why are you blushing?"

She gasped and quickly brought a hand up to her cheek. He couldn't help but smirk. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he continued, "So…are you going to tell me the truth? Or are you going to make me keep guessing?"

"Why do you care anyway?" she demanded.

"Err…" He was not expecting that kind of response.

"I should go," she murmured before standing up and heading towards the tent entrance.

"Wait! We're not done yet!" Without thinking, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down towards him. She let out a small gasp as she fell and landed on his lap. He quickly wrapped his arms around her waist so she couldn't get away.

"Let go of me!" she ordered, struggling to free herself.

"No. Not until you hear what I have to say," he answered, trying to ignore his body's reaction to her being so close to him. She struggled for a few more seconds before finally giving up and turned to face him.

"Fine. I'm listening," she said, sulking slightly.

Roy grinned. Damn. She was so cute when she pouted like that. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to just lean forward and kiss those beautiful pink lips but he resisted the urge. She would probably slap him hard if he did that and he was already in a precarious situation. No need to make the situation worse.

"Well?"

He took a deep breath. _Alright. This is it. No going back now._

"Riza," he said, "We've been friends for a long time and I want you to know that our friendship means a lot to me. You understand me better than anyone else, even Hughes, and I enjoy every moment we spend together. In fact, spending time with you these past few months made me realize just how important you are to me and I don't want to lose you again."

He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and noticed that the frown on Riza's lips had disappeared, replaced instead by a look of surprise. He smiled inwardly before continuing.

"I was an idiot for leaving you behind after Sensei died. You have no idea how many nights I spent thinking about you and wondering where you were. Even when I came here you were often in my dreams and I honestly thought I was hallucinating when I first saw you again out here." He chuckled slightly at the memory. "Anyway, I'm starting to ramble on. What I really wanted to say is that I care a lot about you and not just in the friendly sort of way." He stopped and looked deep into her eyes. "Riza, you're very special to me and I want us to be more than just friends. That's why I was asking you that question earlier. However, if you don't feel the same way then I can respect that and we can forget this conversation ever happened."

Riza stared at him, emotionless. He was starting to wonder if she was in a state of shock when she finally shifted in his lap and looked down as if she was thinking about something. Finally, she turned back to face him. "You're actually serious aren't you?" she asked in a serious tone.

Roy felt his jaw drop. "Why the hell would I be joking about something like this?"

She smiled softly. "Just making sure."

"So…are you going to answer my question now? Truthfully this time?" he asked.

She grinned. "Well I definitely see you as a very good friend. But…" she held up a finger to prevent him from interrupting, "I would be lying if I said I never wished there was something more between us."

He grinned. "Mind if I ask how long you've had these feelings?"

She blushed. "A very long time. Before you even left for the academy."

"I see."

"I didn't think you'd ever be interested in me so I kept it to myself," she added. "I figured there were plenty of other prettier women back in East City that you were more interested in."

He laughed. "There are attractive women in East City and I admit I have dated a few of them in the past but they were nothing compared to you." He leaned slightly forward and whispered, "You stole my heart long before they even had a chance to."

Riza blushed even more. "Now you're just trying to stroke my ego."

Roy grinned as he moved his hand to brush a stray strand of hair from her face. "Not at all. I'm just telling the truth," he told her. "Besides, whatever made you think you weren't pretty?"

She didn't answer him but he could see it in her shining eyes that she was flattered by the compliment. _She's so beautiful,_ he thought as he found himself getting lost in those striking mahogany eyes again. Placing a finger under her chin, he slowly tilted her face towards him before gently kissing her on the lips.

The kiss was everything he had ever imagined it would be. Riza's lips were warm and soft, like a rose petal, and he could feel her hands move up and rest on his chest while he pulled her even closer. Now he understood how Maes felt about Gracia. Having the woman he loved in his arms, knowing that she shared the same feelings as him for all those years. He was the happiest man in Amestris right now. Riza Hawkeye was finally his.

When they finally parted, they were both flushed and breathless but neither seemed to care. Instead, they looked at each other and laughed.

"I guess you can say we're more than friends now aren't we?" Roy asked, with a smirk. Riza smiled.

"I guess we are," she replied before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for another kiss.

* * *

_**A/N: **__I was really hoping to get this chapter out sooner but I was having a lot of trouble with the confession scene (that and I totally got sidetracked by all the trailers and spoilers that just came out for the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword). I kept re-writing the scene over and over so much that I'm a bit cross-eyed now. Hopefully the scene wasn't too rushed._

_Anyway, please review._


	15. Battle in Dahlia

_**A/N: **__My deepest apologizes for everyone who has been waiting for this chapter. The past few months have been absolute chaos (I'll spare you all the details) and to top it off, right when I was finishing the chapter my computer decided that it was a good time to crash and corrupt a bunch of files/backups. So yeah. Not a good couple of months._

_Anyway, about this chapter. It takes place near the end of Chapter 60 in the manga (in case it isn't obvious at the end of the chapter) and Isaac MacDougal, the Freezing Alchemist from the first episode of FMA: Brotherhood makes a cameo._

_**Warning:**__ This chapter contains lots of swearing, blood, and other graphic content that one should expect to see in war._

* * *

**Battle in Dahlia:**

Roy took a large gulp of his morning coffee, grimacing as the piping hot liquid burned his mouth. He quickly muttered a few curse words under his breath before putting the mug down and leaned back against a stack of crates, wishing he could just crawl back into bed and sleep. Beside him, Maes was eating his breakfast while chatting with a group of soldiers about some obscure topic Roy had no interest in. Sighing, he looked around him and noticed Riza and Rebecca talking a few feet away. Based on their facial expressions, he inferred that Riza was lecturing Rebecca over something and he couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"Rebecca, you're being stubborn."

"Am not."

"Are too. He's already tried to apologize twice and you just walk away."

"Well I'm still mad at him."

"Why? I told you it was all a misunderstanding."

"How do you know?"

"Because unlike you I've talked to him and he's not the chauvinistic bastard you like to think he is. He's actually very nice."

"Oh so you're taking his side now?"

"I give up!" exclaimed Riza, exasperated at her friend's stubbornness.

"What was that about?" Maes asked

"Rebecca's holding a grudge against another cadet," Roy smirked.

"Still? Over that simple foot-in-mouth comment?"

"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned," Roy mumbled before taking another sip from his coffee.

"No kidding. Remind me to never piss her off." Maes murmured.

Roy grinned inwardly while he slowly finished his coffee. When he was done he placed the cup down and got up. "Time for us to go," he said while he shook some dust off his trench coat. Maes nodded and stood up. As they walked by Riza looked up at them and gave him a small smile. He smiled back.

"Somebody's in love," Maes whispered in his ear, giving him a quick jab with his elbow.

"You sure are," Roy grinned, jabbing him back. Thinking back, the past week and a half had flown by almost like a dream. He and Riza had spent a lot of time together and he was starting to understand why Maes always acted so ridiculous every time he received a letter from Gracia. He used to scoff at people claiming to be 'crazy in love' but now he was starting to realize that the phrase wasn't as absurd as he originally thought. While he was still far from being 'crazy in love' like Maes, he did love being with Riza and was always thinking about her. Her very presence comforted him and probably kept him from going insane out here in this desert. He loved that he could be himself around her and he still couldn't believe his luck that she would love a monster like him.

_I really don't deserve her._

"Sooo…how's it going between you two?" asked Maes.

"Good," Roy answered.

"Anything interesting you'll like to share with your best friend?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "No. Was there something in particular you wanted to hear?"

Maes shrugged. "Not really. Just curious."

"You know, Hughes. You should really watch where you stick your nose. Your curiosity may get you into trouble someday."

Maes grinned. "I'll keep that in mind." They continued walking till they reached a fork in the path. "Well, this is where we part ways. I'll see you later. Roy" Maes said before running off to the left.

"Later," Roy waved. He walked down the other path until he reached a large tent with the Amestrian flag in front. He walked inside and found General Grumman talking to a dark haired man. They both looked up when he approached.

"Ah, Major Mustang," greeted Grumman. "I was just talking to Major MacDougal about our latest assignment. He'll be assisting our unit today."

"I see." Roy held out his hand. "It's been a while, Freezer. Last I heard you were up at Northern HQ."

"I was reassigned here as a replacement for Armstrong," MacDougal replied, shaking his hand. "From what I've seen so far I've got my work cut out for me."

"Yup. Welcome to Ishbal."

Grumman cleared his throat. "Well then, let's get down to business," he said, tapping the table to get their attention. "Anyway, as I was just telling Major MacDougal, Colonel Gran finally managed to extract some information from the prisoner you captured last week. It took a while but we've learned that a large group of insurgents are gathering in the Kanda region. They are supposedly preparing for a full on assault on our troops in the next few days. "

"Do we have any evidence to back up this claim?"

"Our spies have reported some suspicious activity in the area; however, it's not enough to back up the prisoner's claim. Nevertheless, the brass want to launch a surprise attack on the Ishbalans as soon as possible."

"So we're being sent to the Kanda region," said MacDougal confidently. Grumman shook his head.

"No. Colonel Gran and Major Kimblee will be in charge of the assault in the Kanda region. General Blackburn has ordered us to take care of the Dahlia region."

"The Dahlia region?" echoed Roy. "Why are we being sent there instead of the Kanda region? If there really is a large group of Ishbalans congregating there then wouldn't we need as much manpower as possible there?"

Grumman sighed. "I asked Blackburn the same question and all he said was that they had a secret weapon of formable power that they were going to use on the Ishbalans so the extra manpower was unnecessary."

"A secret weapon?"

Grumman nodded. "I haven't seen it myself but Blackburn sounded quite confident in its capabilities. Anyway, going back to your assignment. We have reason to believe that that the Ishbalans have been using an underground route somewhere in this region to smuggle arms into the country. Your orders are to find it and destroy it." He picked up a large manila envelope and pulled out several photographs. "Our surveillance balloon picked up some interesting images."

Roy and MacDougal studied the pictures. In the grainy black and white photos Roy could make out several men loading long wooden boxes onto wagons. "Weapons," he muttered under his breath. Looking up, he asked, "Where exactly were these photos taken?"

"At the south side of the region. In Sector 44."

"We should start our search there then," Roy said. MacDougal nodded in agreement.

"I'll also be sending out Handley and Curie squads to aid you in your search," added Grumman. "You should be able to cover more ground this way. "

"Understood, Sir."

"Any other questions on this mission?"

"No, Sir,"

"Good. Keep me updated and notify me immediately when you find anything. You're both dismissed."

"Yes, Sir!" Roy and MacDougal both saluted before walking out of the tent. Their men were already waiting nearby.

"Gather around men!" Roy called out to his squad. "We have a lot of work to do today."

* * *

Roy quickly ran for cover as bullets flew over his head. _Fuck fuck fuck! _he cursed as his body slammed against the side of a building. _That was too close! _he thought as other soldiers quickly joined him, practically tripping over each other while they tried to seek what little cover they could.

"Shit! I had no idea the Ishbalans would put up this much of a fight," he heard MacDougal yell.

"You didn't honestly think they would just roll over and play dead when we came in did you?" he yelled back.

A grenade suddenly exploded nearby, sending everyone ducking for cover. "Fuck! Where the hell did they get all this weaponry anyway?" MacDougal cursed again while he dusted bits of rock off himself.

"You can thank Aerugo for that!" Roy shouted while he got into position next to the corner of the building. Snapping his fingers, he released a series of explosions in the direction of their attackers.

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

They waited with bated breath as the sound of enemy gunfire subsided. No one dared move. Seconds passed in silence as they waited for the enemy to return fire but nothing came. Carefully peering around the corner, Roy quickly scanned the area for any signs of their attackers. Nothing. He was about to signal for his men to advance when the sound of gunfire suddenly started again.

_RATA-TATA-TATA-TATA-TATA-TATA…_

_BANG! BANG!_

"DAMN IT!" he cursed out loud.

"Good job! Now you really pissed them off!" MacDougal shouted, giving him a thumbs up.

Roy gave him a dirty look. "Like you would've done any better," he snapped. The smug grin on the man's face disappeared as quickly as it came. "In fact," Roy continued, "I've been meaning to ask you something, Freezer. Why the hell did they send you out here anyway? We're in the fucking desert. Your alchemy is pretty much useless here!"

The grin appeared again. "Probably because they want me here to put out any fires you cause."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

MacDougal didn't answer him. Instead, he took out his water canister and unscrewed the cap. Roy saw a flash of alchemy before he chucked it at the enemy. The canister exploded in mid-air, creating a thick fog that covered over the area.

"Quick! We need to retreat NOW!" MacDougal ordered. "The fog should provide us with enough cover for us to escape unnoticed."

Roy bit his lip. He hated the idea of running away but at the moment they had no other option. The Ishbalans had caught them unprepared. "RETREAT!" he commanded. "We'll regroup at the last rendezvous point!"

The men quickly got up and ran up the streets, scrambling over rubble and jumping over craters in the ground. Eventually, they reached their destination, breathless but still alive.

_Fuck. What a mess,_ Roy thought as he caught his breath. He knew that the assignment wasn't going to be easy when he first heard it but what just happened was insane. _We were practically ambushed out there!_

Looking up, he noticed one of his men tending to an injured soldier nearby. _How many men did I lose this time? _he thought before calling the young man.

"Sergeant Larsson! Status report."

The medic looked up. "Four wounded, Sir."

"How badly?"

"One broken rib and several gunshot wounds. Private Stinson is the most badly wounded. He was hit in the shoulder and back but he'll survive. The rest are ok."

Roy sighed in relief. "Good to hear. Carry on then, Sergeant."

"Yes Sir."

Roy rested for another minute before getting up. He needed to update General Grumman on their situation and then talk to Freezer about their next plan of attack. Looking around, he soon found Mauser talking to a signaller.

"Captain Mauser, what's the situation with the other squads?" he asked as he approached them. Mauser turned around.

"Curie squad reports that they've searched the main square but haven't found anything yet and we're having trouble contacting Handley squad. Their communication keeps cutting off. General Grum-"

"Sirs!" interrupted the private. "Handley squad is requesting help! They say that they're under heavy fire and their path of retreat is blocked."

_Fuck! Not now._ Roy cursed. Turning to the soldier, he asked, "Where are they?"

"Handley squad. Where are you situated?" repeated the soldier. "They're in the Northern district on the main street leading to the Ishbalan temple," he shouted.

Roy bit his lip. The squad was a fair distance away in enemy territory. He would be risking his men's lives if he sent them in there yet at the same time, he couldn't in good conscious let those trapped men die without at least trying to help them. He looked up at Mauser and could tell that he was thinking the same thing. Silently mulling it over, he made his decision.

"Inform Handley squad that reinforcements is on their way."

"Yes Sir!" replied the private before relaying the message. Roy quickly turned around and called out for several soldiers.

"Schneider! Brodie! Larsson! You're with me. Looks like we have a rescue mission up in the Northern district!"

"Are you sure you don't need more men?" asked Mauser as the men quickly grabbed their gear and made their way towards them.

Roy shook his head. "We'll be fine. It's easier and faster to move in a smaller group. However, I will need you to keep things together until we're back. Work with Major MacDougal to think of a way to penetrate the enemy's defenses."

Mauser nodded. "Yes Sir!" he saluted. "Good luck!"

Roy grinned. Turning to the other men, he ordered, "Let's go!"

* * *

Roy lay on his stomach up on a rooftop observing the fighting through a pair of binoculars. Beside him, Schneider was looking through the scope on his sniper rifle while Brodie and Larsson were setting up a machine gun.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"There's at least ten Ishbalans on the ground and probably another twenty up in those buildings," Schneider answered, pointing to several dilapidated structures.

Roy nodded. "They seem to be attacking that small building over there so I'm betting our men are in there."

"Confirmed. I just saw a state military uniform inside that building."

"Good." Putting away his binoculars, he turned and asked, "Everyone ready?" They all nodded. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

_KABOOM!_

One of the buildings exploded, sending its occupants running out onto the open streets, some with their clothing on fire. Schneider and Brodie fired at the fleeing rebels while Roy unleashed his attacks on the adjacent buildings.

_RATA-TATA-TATA-TATA-TATA…_

_BLANG! BLANG!_

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

_KABOOM!_

_RATA-TATA-TATA…_

The area was pure chaos. Fires raged on inside several buildings while the remaining Ishbalans ran for cover from their mysterious attackers. Roy noticed a group of Ishbalans running out of one of the burning buildings and towards an alley. He snapped his fingers and sent them flying in the air from the force of the explosion. They landed with a loud thud and didn't move anymore.

After several more minutes, Roy motioned for his men to stop firing. He scanned the area, looking for any sign of movement in the smoldering debris. When he didn't see anything, he turned and nodded.

"Let's go."

They quickly ran down several flights of stairs to the ground floor and then out onto the streets. While they continued their way up the street an Ishbalan suddenly stepped out in front of them, pointing his rifle at them. Without thinking, Roy quickly snapped his fingers and immediately the man was engulfed in flames. He quickly dropped onto the ground, screaming of agony.

"Rot in hell, you bastard," Brodie muttered as they ran pass the dying man.

They quickly made their way towards the building where they believed their comrades were. When they finally reached it, Schneider reached for the doorknob but Roy stopped him. _Wait…_ he motioned. The last thing he wanted was for his men to be shot by friendly fire. Schneider nodded and stepped aside, allowing Roy to sidle up to the bullet-ridden door and knock. "This is Major Roy Mustang," he shouted. "We're here to provide reinforcement. Is everyone alright?" He could hear excited voices inside before the door quickly opened.

"Boy are we glad to see you!" exclaimed a soldier when they entered. "We all thought we were going to die here!"

Roy looked around the room. Soldiers were sitting up against the walls, many with injuries. A man screamed out in pain while a fellow soldier attempted to set his broken leg. Around them, spent cartridges littered the floor while the scent of blood and gunpowder was heavy in the air. While he searched the room for Colonel Handley, he noticed Larsson was already administering first aid to some of the more badly wounded soldiers.

"Major Mustang!" called out a voice near him. He turned and saw two familiar faces grinning at him.

"Cadets Havoc and Breda. Glad to see you're both still alive."

"You're not the only one," Havoc smirked. "I honestly thought I was a dead man up until a few minutes ago," he said as he pulled out a cigarette from his breast pocket and placed it on his lips.

"If it weren't for your flame attacks we'd probably be dead or dying by now," grinned Breda.

Roy gave a small grin. "By the way, where's Colonel Handley?"

The grin on Breda's face quickly disappeared and he pointed over at a corpse slumped against the wall several feet away. "He's dead, sir."

Roy resisted the urge to vomit at the sight. A bullet had pierced through the colonel's skull, splattering his blood and brains everywhere. Sitting next to the corpse was a soldier. The young man had a dazed look on his face and didn't respond when Roy waved his hand in front of him.

_Shell shock_, he thought before turning back to Breda. "Who's commanding the group now?"

"First Lieutenant Vickers," Breda answered, pointing to a soldier being tended by Larsson. Roy thanked him and quickly walked over to the officer.

"Vickers?" he asked, crouching down. The man looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"I'm Major Roy Mustang. I was just told by one of your subordinates that you are now in charge of Handley squad. Could you please tell me what happened here?"

A look of anguish crossed the man's face. Looking down at the ground, he replied, "We were searching through several abandoned residences for any sign of a smuggling route when one of our soldiers spotted several armed Ishbalans a few blocks away. Colonel Handley ordered us to follow them so we did and engaged them in a firefight. However, as the battle dragged on, we realized that we were heavily outnumbered so we tried to retreat but more Ishbalans had joined the fight by then. We sought refuge in this building and attempted to hold off the enemy until you came." He was silent for a moment before he mumbled, "We lost a lot of good men…a lot…"

Roy sighed and stood up. "I see. Thank you, Lieutenant." He felt a slight tap on his shoulder and turned around.

"Sir," said Larsson. "Some of these men need immediate medical attention. We need to get them out of here and back to the medical tents as soon as possible."

Roy nodded. "Start preparing the wounded for transport. We'll leave as soon as you're done." Larsson nodded and immediately went to work while Roy turned to his other subordinates. "Brodie," he called out. "Any sign of our friends out there?"

"Nope," Brodie answered while peering out through the open door. "It's all clea-," A shot rang out before he could finish his sentence. He quickly fell to the ground as the gunfire started again outside.

_BANG! BANG!_

_RATA-TATA-TATA-TATA-TATA-TATA…_

_Shit! Reinforcements! _Roy while he and another soldier dragged Brodie to safety. Larsson quickly crawled over to them and assessed the injuries.

"I'm ok…" they heard Brodie mumble.

"Like hell you are!" yelled Roy. Turning to Larsson, he asked, "How bad is it?"

"Single shot to the abdomen. We need to get him out of here!" said Larsson while he immediately began applying pressure on the wound.

_Damn it!_ Roy thought as he looked around. The other soldiers were already up against the wall, firing back at the enemy. He noticed Breda holding up a mirror and called out to him. "Breda! What do you see?"

"There's about a dozen Ishbalans outside…" Breda answered.

"Location?"

"About 50 meters and closing!"

"Sir!" cried out another soldier. "We're almost out of ammo!"

_Fuck! _Roy was about to answer when a grenade came sailing in through the open window. Havoc quickly grabbed it off the floor and threw it as hard as he could back outside. They heard it explode a few seconds later.

"Correction! There's now 11 of them!" shouted Breda.

"We're out of ammo!"

Roy took a deep breath. This was it. There was no other option left. "Listen up, men!" he shouted. "We need to get out of here before more enemies arrive so I need all of you to follow exactly what I'm about to say." He paused for a second to make sure he had everyone's attention before continuing. "I'm going to use my alchemy to clear a path for us to retreat. As soon as I do that you all have to make a run for it. Got it?"

All the men nodded. While they got into position, Roy crawled up to the window and listened. The Ishbalans were still firing thought not as much as before._ Probably waiting for us to surrender,_ he thought. Turning back to the soldiers, he asked, "Ready?" Everyone nodded. Raising his right hand, he snapped his fingers.

_SNAP!_

_BOOM!_

_KABOOM!_

"GO GO GO!" Roy shouted, pushing the soldiers forward. "Get your sorry asses out of here!" He grabbed the arm of a badly injured soldier next to him and draped it over his shoulder. The man grimaced in pain while they stumbled out of the building. "Come on! We need to get out of here!" he urged.

"Sir…" the soldier wheezed. "Just leave me. Please. I'm only slowing you down."

His words stung. Roy looked over at the man's bloody face and saw a mix of pain and fear. A look he was certain would haunt him for the rest of his life if he let him die.

"No. I'm not leaving you behind," he said sternly. "My men and I didn't risk our lives so you can die in a ditch like a piece of garbage." From the corner of his eye, he noticed two Ishbalans running up to them, guns drawn. He quickly snapped his fingers in their direction.

_BOOM!_

The force of the explosion threw them off balance and sent them both crashing to the ground. Roy quickly got up and tried to pull the other soldier up. The man groaned and Roy could see his wounds were starting to bleed profusely. "Get up!" he shouted. "That's an order, soldier!"

"I can't…"

"You can and you will!" he barked just as Havoc ran up to them. "I told you before, I'm not abandoning you or any other man under my command! You're going to live whether you like it or not!" Pulling the man up, he and Havoc quickly carried him towards safety.

_We're all going to survive this bloody war…or die trying._

* * *

Kimblee grinned as he stood up on a hilltop watching the battle below him. The view was magnificent! He could see the entire city from his vantage point and he could barely contain the excitement bubbling up inside him as he watched the chaos engulf the city. Looking over to his left, he saw a column of fire streak up into the sky off in the distance followed by a series of explosions.

_What a beautiful sight!_

He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of distant gunfire punctuated with the occasional boom from mortar shells being dropped. _Ahh….the symphony of destruction,_ he thought to himself before he heard a very loud boom. He opened his eyes and saw a large cloud of dust billowing out of the side of a building at the center of the city. He smirked. Clearly that was one of Colonel Gran's attacks. Another loud blast erupted and Kimblee saw another building crumple like a stack of cards. _Yup. Definitely the work of the Iron Blood Alchemist._

While he continued watching the devastation below him he felt a sense of euphoria pulsating through his veins. He threw his head back and laughed. Being surrounded by all this chaos was positively exhilarating! It was like he was in a dream. A beautiful dream. One he wished he would never wake up from.

"Sir?" said a voice beside him.

Kimblee scowled at the soldier that dared to interrupt his fantasy. "What is it?" he snapped.

"The men are in position and awaiting your orders," said the soldier nervously. Kimblee frowned.

_Oh right. I still have a job to do._

Looking back at the clouds of smoke rising over the city, he smirked as he watched another building collapse into a heaping pile of rubble. No sense letting Gran have all the fun.

He cracked his knuckles. "Well then…it's time to get to work."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I promise to not take so long on the next chapter. _


	16. Goodbye

_**A/N: **__Alright! Part 2 of the battle we saw in the previous chapter. This time the fighting is in the Kanda region so you'll see several familiar characters again. In fact, several scenes here were taken from chapter 61 of the manga._

_**Warnings and disclaimers: **__This chapter is very graphic at one part and gets very emotional at the end so you might want to keep some tissues handy just in case. Also, I don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of its characters._

* * *

**Goodbye: **

Kimblee could feel the excitement building up inside him as he pulled the Philosopher's Stone from his pocket. He had waited patiently for months for the chance to use the little beauty. Holding it out in front of him, he couldn't help but admire the blood red hue.

_Exquisite!_

How fitting that this stone, made from the souls of captured Ishbalans, would end up being used to annihilate their race. He laughed at the irony. Looking out at the battlefield he wondered just how much destruction he could cause with this little stone.

_Would it accompany the pandemonium of battle…that beautiful sound that shakes me to the core…or will it outshine everything and create its own beautiful solo in this veritable symphony of destruction?_

Surveyed the battlefield below, he looked around for the perfect location to test out his new toy. _Hmm…where should I target first?_ he thought to himself. His eyes rested on a neighborhood near the foot of the hill. _Perfect,_ he thought as he placed the stone in his mouth for safekeeping. Raising his hands, he grinned as he prepared to unleash his alchemy.

_I love this work!_

He could feel the stone pulsating in his mouth as he slammed his hands onto the ground. Red sparks flew from his hands and quickly traveled down the hill towards the city, destroying anything in its path. Seconds later, Kimblee heard the wondrous sound he had been waiting for.

_KABOOM!_

Kimblee waited in anticipation for the dust cloud to disappear before looking down at the remains of the neighborhood he just destroyed. He frowned when he saw a circle of rubble approximately one kilometer in diameter surrounded by upright buildings.

_Hmm…it wasn't as beautiful as I was hoping…_

Behind him, he could hear the other soldiers chatting excitedly. At least someone was impressed with his handiwork even if he wasn't. Turning around, he addressed his men.

"Attention everyone! As members of my squad I expect nothing but perfection from all of you! Show the Ishbalans no mercy and make sure you leave a trail of destruction! Let's show those filthy dogs who their master is!"

The men roared in agreement. Kimblee smiled. _Such simple-minded soldiers_. They were perfectly disposable pawns that he would take pleasure in turning into human weapons when the time came. In the meantime, he still had a lot of work to do.

"Alright. On to the next target."

* * *

A young Ishbalan warrior ran down the street as fast as he could. The military was here! They had already begun attacking the city, raining mortar shells over the area. He could hear the distant sound of gunfire while he ran through the streets, running past other Ishbalans fleeing in the opposite direction.

_Damn it…I thought we had more time…_

Caleb quickly prayed to Ishbala to make sure his family was ok. He was getting close but so was the sound of battle. Turning around a corner, he found himself facing a group of soldiers.

"Murderers…" he growled. He ran straight towards one soldier. The young man panicked and quickly fired his rifle at him. He missed. Without skipping a beat, Caleb ran up to him and rammed his elbow under the man's chin, sending him flying. Then he did a spinning kick, knocking several soldiers onto the ground before running over them. In front were two more soldiers. "Out of my way!" he snarled before attacking them. He punched one of them in the face and then kicked the other hard in the ribs. They fell onto the ground while he quickly ran past them. He didn't have time for this. He needed to find his family.

"Brother! Father! Mother!" he called out as he ran up the street towards his home.

"Over here!" called out a voice. He stopped and turned. Through the dust he made out several figures and ran towards them. He sighed in relief when he realized it was his family and neighbors.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked.

"Yes, we're fine," answered his father. "Fortunately, we made preparations in case we had to leave in a hurry."

"We need to get out of here," he told them.

"But where should we go?" asked his grandmother, coming to his side.

"The forces are heavier to the West so we should head East," answered a neighbor.

"But everyone else is fleeing East. If we head that way we'll be attacked," interjected another.

"There's another problem," added his mother. "I heard there's a State Alchemist among them." He cursed.

"Damn it! If they were just ordinary soldiers I could take care of twenty or thirty of them but against an alchemist…"

"Maybe we should split up then," suggested one man. "That way we won't all get killed at once."

"No! I'm not dividing my family!" cried a woman, clutching her two young children.

"You don't really have a choice! Not if it means ensuring their survival!"

"Even if we split up where can we go? There isn't anywhere to hide outside the city."

"We should head to the Aerugo border. They've been our ally in this war."

"No. The military is expecting us to head that way so they've probably blocked all routes. We should head towards Xing."

"We'll die out in the desert before we reach Xing!"

While everyone was arguing about where to run Caleb felt a tap on his arm. He turned and found his brother standing behind him.

"Hey. I need you to hold onto something for me." He held out a small bound notebook.

"What is it?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"My research. This was all I was able to take with me."

Caleb quickly withdrew his hand. "What?"

"Take it!" his brother ordered, grabbing his robe and shoving it inside. "If anything happens to me, then all of my research will have been in vain."

"Why don't you hold onto it yourself?" he demanded.

His brother laughed. "Let's be realistic here. You're a highly-skilled warrior. I'm just a scholar without any training in combat. Who do you think have a better chance of getting out of here alive?" Looking down at the ground, he added, "Look at me. As soon as I'm thrown into battle my legs won't stop shaking. What kind of role model would be such a coward?"

Caleb stood there, speechless. He couldn't believe it. His brother, the person he looked up to all his life, actually thought he was coward? Ridiculous. They were at war. Only a fool wouldn't be scared. He wanted to reassure him that there was nothing shameful about being afraid. Even he was afraid right now: afraid of losing everyone dear to him.

"Brother…" he said softly. His brother looked up at him but quickly turned around when they suddenly heard the sound of laughter above them. His eyes widened in shock when he saw an Amestrian man standing up on the roof of a nearby building.

_Damn it! A soldier!_

* * *

Kimblee grinned as he looked at the terrified people below him.

"My my…what do we have here?" he said, grinning maliciously. He could see the look of fear in their eyes. "A bunch of worthless rats I see. Must be my lucky day." A few people gasped in terror and he noticed one muscular man quickly hold out his hands, trying to protect his family. He laughed. Did he honestly think that he could protect them from the Crimson Alchemist?

"Don't worry. I'll be sending you on your way shortly," he told them. Clapping his hands, he dropped down and slammed his hands on the hard masonry in front of him. Flashes of red light erupted around him and the ground began trembling and shaking. He could hear a few screams and cries for help amidst the loud rumble of buildings starting to collapse. He smirked. The Philosopher Stone was pulsating wildly now in his mouth, like a metronome keeping time to the symphony of destruction playing out around him.

_KABOOOOOOM!_

"YES! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SOUND!" Kimblee could barely contain his excitement when he heard the sweet melody of successive explosions accompanied by the sound of falling rocks and the screams of Ishbalans being crushed by them. When it finally stopped, he waited for a moment before finally standing up and looking out to see the extent of the damage he had inflicted.

He couldn't believe his eyes. The explosions had created a huge line of devastation all the way to the horizon. A sea of wreckage as far as the eye could see. It was almost as if some giant monster had run through the city, destroying everything in its path. He had never seen anything so beautiful!

"INCREDIBLE! The Philosopher's Stone truly is amazing!" he cried out while laughing manically. This was his masterpiece! His magnum opus! Nobody could possibly top this! Not Mustang. Not Comanche. Not even fucking Gran! His heart swelled with pride as he admired his handiwork. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. He could stand here all day savoring the moment but he heard footsteps slowly approaching behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw his squad standing there.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

"They're not here, sir," said a soldier, meekly. Kimblee frowned.

"Have you at least found a clue of their whereabouts?" Several soldiers shook their heads. He sighed. What a useless bunch of soldiers. "Let's go then," he ordered, walking past them.

Time to find those pesky Amestrian doctors.

* * *

Urey looked around the chaotic scene around him. The fighting had finally reached their region and it was only a matter of time before it reached the hospital. They had begun evacuation procedures; however, with so many injured and sick patients it was taking too long to mobilize everyone.

_Damn it! How are we going to get everyone out of here? _

Scanning the room, he saw Sara in a corner tending to a crippled patient. He bit his lip. That patient would have zero chance of getting away once the military arrived. The same went for many other patients in the room.

"Jorge!" he called out to one of his assistants. "I need you to start helping the incapacitated onto the wagon out back. We're going to have to drive them to safety."

"Sure thing," said Jorge. The young man was heading towards the door when several men suddenly burst into the room, carrying a severely wounded man.

"Doctor! This man needs medical attention immediately!"

_Shit!_ thought Urey as he rushed over to help them. Together they carried the unconscious man to the operating table and carefully laid him on it. Urey pursed his lips when he noticed blood was dripping from several deep wounds on his body. It was a miracle he was still alive.

"He's lost a lot of blood. We need to hurry and stitch up these wounds before he goes into shock," he told Sara. She nodded and quickly grabbed some bandages. While they hurriedly dressed the wounds, Urey couldn't help but notice that the man's right arm looked odd. It was thinner than the rest of his body and tattooed. It was as if it wasn't originally part of the body but rather attached somehow. In other words, a transplanted limb.

Just as they finished wrapping a bandage around the man's head a young boy came running into the building.

"The military is coming!" he screamed.

_Damn it!_ "We need to evacuate! Urey grabbed a teenage patient by the arm and tried to pull him up but the boy wrenched his arm away.

"No! I want to fight! I'll show them the resolve of Ishbal!" he shouted.

"You have to escape! I didn't give you medical attention just so you can die. If you don't hurry it'll be too late!" Turning to another one of his assistants, he ordered, "Nina! Grab any supplies you can and take them with you."

"What about you, doctor?" she asked, a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry about us. The military won't hurt us." Turning towards his patients, he ordered, "Anyone who can walk needs to leave NOW!"

"ARRRRGHHH….WHAT IS THIS?"

Urey quickly turned and saw the man he had just bandaged screaming and writhing on the bed. "Quick! Give him a sedative!" he ordered.

"There isn't any more!" cried Elena, another assistant. "We just used the last of it."

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. Too much was happening all at once.

"Everyone! Take the back route and head east towards the outskirts of the city as fast as you can," Sara called out, pointing to the back door. "Urey and I will try and stall the military to buy you more time," she added, looking over at him. He smiled at her.

"She's right," he told them. "You should-" he stopped mid-sentence when a loud roar filled the room.

"YOU…MURDERERS!"

From the corner of his eye, Urey saw the injured Ishbalan running towards them holding something. His eyes widened in fear when he realized what the Ishbalan was carrying.

"Get out of the way!" he shouted to Sara, pushing her away. She fell to the floor just as he felt a sharp pain in his back.

"Urey!" Sara screamed.

He exhaled sharply as he felt the knife being removed. Turning around, he saw anger and hatred in the Ishbalan's eyes right before he tried to drive the knife into his chest. Urey managed to block the attack with his hands but the Ishbalan was too fast. He spun around and drove the knife into his abdomen. Urey could feel his strength quickly leave him and fell onto his knees. The man stood over him, readying his knife for the final blow but Sara rushed over to them.

"Stop it! Leave my husband alone!" she screamed, hitting the man on the back. He threw her off and turned his attention on her.

"No! Sara! Get out of here!" Urey shouted.

Before Sara could respond, the man grabbed her by the neck and thrust the knife into her chest.

"NO!"

Urey saw her eyes widen in shock and then her body went limp. The man withdrew the knife from her body and let her go. She dropped down onto the ground with a loud thud.

"Sara!" he yelled, crawling over to her as fast as he could. The man was standing over her now, her blood still dripping from his knife. He raised his knife again but Elena quickly ran over and covered Sara's body with hers. Turning towards the man, she angrily shouted. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? THEY JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE!"

The man didn't answer her. Instead, he stared at her as if in shock before dropping the knife and running out the door. Elena quickly got up and immediately began administering first aid on Sara while Urey crawled up to them.

"Her breathing's very shallow," she told him while she pressed a blood soaked rag to the wound. "I d-don't think…" her voice trailed off and he knew what she was too afraid to say.

"Sara," he whispered, gently clutching her pale face. She didn't respond. He could feel tears starting to form in his eyes. "Sara, don't die…We promised Winry that we'll come home." Pulling her close, he gently stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "Sara…please answer me…"

He was vaguely aware that Nina and Jorge were tending to his own injuries but his mind was too preoccupied with Sara to care. Nothing mattered now other than her. He called her name out several more times but each time she responded with silence. Soon, he heard her breathing starting to become ragged before finally stopping. He felt a very sharp pang in his heart and the tears soon began falling. She was gone.

He was so lost in his grief that for a while he wasn't aware of the chaos around him. It was only when Nina pressed on one of his wounds, causing him to wince in pain, that he remembered his own condition. He tried to push them away, telling them to escape before it was too late but they refused.

"You always told us to never abandon a patient in need," said Jorge firmly.

"Or give up," added Nina. "You two always said every life is precious and worth saving. Yours is no exception."

Urey looked up in surprise and then smiled at them. He and Sara could not have asked for better assistants. He was about to say something when he suddenly felt light-headed. Looking back down at his injuries, he saw a pool of blood forming underneath him despite Jorge's best efforts at stopping the bleeding.

"Looks like all your efforts might be in vain," he murmured. He coughed and felt a small trickle of blood run down the side of his mouth.

"No no no…stay with me, Doctor!" cried out Jorge. "Elena, get us some more rags! And bandages! Hurry!"

Urey felt a small breeze as Elena ran past him to grab the last of the supplies. He rested his head against Sara's.

_Looks like I'll be joining you soon, Sara…Wait for me…_

The room was starting to spin now and he noticed everything was slowly getting darker. He blinked several times to clear his vision but it didn't improve.

_So this is how it's like to die…_

"Doctor Rockbell!" he heard several voice cry out. However, this time it sounded distant.

"I'm sorry…Winry…" he whispered before the whole world faded into darkness.

* * *

Kimblee looked around the room in disgust. This was the hospital? There was hardly anything in there. Broken bottles and used medical equipment lay scattered around the floor while the smell of blood and death hung in the air. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed two bodies lying side by side on the floor. He pointed at them. "Are those the Rockbells?"

The soldier in front of him nodded. "They were already dead when we arrived. The Ishbalans must have killed them, sir." He held up a bloodstained knife.

"We went through all that trouble for these people?" muttered the soldier on his left.

"They were helping the enemy? What were they thinking?" asked another soldier.

Kimblee grinned. "Defeating the enemy in battle is your duty as soldiers. Saving people's lives is a doctor's duty. These two stayed true to their calling. I admire such conviction." He walked over to the corpses and pulled out a photograph. Turning it over, he stared at the three people smiling back at him.

_What a happy family. Pity it had to end this way._

Looking up from the photo, he added, "It's really too bad though…I would have liked to have seen their faces while they were still alive."

* * *

_A few days later in Resembool:_

"Winry! Could you do me a favor?" asked Pinako.

"Sure, Granny," said the little girl, looking up from her homework.

"I need you to get a few things for me from the store." She handed her a slip of paper and a handful of cash. "And take Den with you."

"Okay!" Winry grabbed her purse and dropped the money inside. "Come on, Den," she called. "Let's go for a walk." Den quickly got up from under the table, wagged her tail, and ran out the door after Winry. Pinako smiled as she sat back down at her giant workbench. Grabbing her screwdriver, she quickly went back to work on an automail leg. One of her patients would be arriving first thing in the morning for his fitting and there were still a few adjustments she needed to make on it.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted her. Sighing, she slowly slid off her workbench and walked towards the front door. "Did you forget something, Winry?" she asked as she opened the door, expecting to see her granddaughter. Instead, she found a man in uniform and a chaplain standing at the door.

_Oh God…._

"Mrs. Pinako Rockbell?" asked one of the men.

"Yes…that's me," she answered, her voice trembling. The two men removed their hats.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," the soldier said somberly. "Your son, Dr. Urey Rockbell, and his wife, Dr. Sara Rockbell, were found dead three days ago in Ishbal."

_Oh God…this can't be happening,_ thought Pinako. She felt her knees go weak before falling to the ground.

"Ma'am!" They quickly rushed to her side. She brushed them away.

"I'm okay….I-I just need to sit down."

They slowly guided her back into the house and helped her into a chair. "Can I get you something, Ma'am?" asked the chaplain. She motioned towards a pitcher sitting on the counter.

"I need some water."

The chaplain quickly poured her a glass and handed it to her. She took it and took several big gulps. When she had calm down slightly, she placed the empty glass down onto the dining table and asked, "How did they die?" Instead of answering, the soldier pulled a thin envelope from his uniform and handed it to her. She ripped it open with trembling hands and pulled out a sheet of paper before reading the letter.

_Mrs. Pinako Rockbell_

_Resembool, Amestris_

_Dear Mrs. Rockbell,_

_It is with profound regret that I must inform you about the untimely death of your son, Dr. Urey Rockbell, and his wife, Dr. Sara Rockbell on February 25, 1908. On behalf of the military, please allow me to extend my deepest sympathies to you and your family on your tragic loss._

_No words of mine can possibly relieve the grief you must be feeling right now; however, I hope you will take comfort in knowing that their humanitarian efforts were an inspiration to others and that countless Amestrian soldiers owe their lives to them. They will be truly missed by everyone who knew them and we pray that they rest in peace._

_Sincerely,_

_Lieutenant General William F. Blackburn_

Pinko dropped the letter on the table, tears streaming down her face. This had to be a dream…no…a nightmare! Pulling out her handkerchief, she wiped the tears from her face. The chaplain quietly knelt down next to her. "I'm really sorry, Ma'am. If you'd like, we can say a prayer together for them."

Pinako shook her hand. "No," she sniffed. "I just need to be alone for a little bit." The man hesitated. "I'll be okay," she assured him. "I just really need to be alone right now."

"As you wish, Ma'am," said the chaplain. "However, if you change your mind or just wish to talk, here's my contact information." He placed his card on the table next to her. "Good day, Ma'am. And again, I'm very sorry for your loss."

The two men quietly made their way to the front door and let themselves out. When Pinako heard the door click shut she finally broke down.

_Why?...Why did this have to happen? _she asked over and over again. Her son…her only child…gone. And her sweet daughter-in-law. She couldn't believe she would never again see those beautiful smiles or hear their voices echo through the house while they told bedtime stories to Winry.

Wiping a few more tears, she wondered how she was going to tell Winry. The poor child had been waiting so patiently for her parents to come home. How was she going to look into her granddaughter's face and tell her that her parents were gone? The news was going to devastate her and it broke Pinako's heart just thinking of how the little girl was going to react.

She sat at the table for a long time, grieving. It wasn't right. No parent should have to bury her own child. And no child should have to grow up without her parents. Fate was just too cruel. Looking up at the corkboard sitting across the room, she focused her attention on a photo of Urey, Sara, and Winry. They had taken the photo the previous summer, right before Urey and Sara left for Ishbal. Pinako choked back a sob when she recalled how happy they all were that day. Who would have thought that that was the last time they would be together?

Blowing her nose, she almost didn't hear footsteps running up the stairs outside.

"I'm home!" shouted Winry, running through the front door. Den barked in agreement. They both stopped in the middle of the room when they saw her. "Granny…what's wrong?" Winry asked.

Pinako sniffed. "Come here, child," she said. Winry dropped her bag and walked over to her. Pinako gently grasped her granddaughter's hands and looked solemnly into her eyes. "I'm afraid I have some terrible news…."

* * *

_**A/N: **__ I hope I gave the Rockbells a fitting farewell/death scene. I put a lot of heart into this chapter and I would love to hear what you all thought about it. Was it emotional enough? Was this how you pictured it would happen? Please leave a review. _

_Regarding Scar's name, I realized while outlining this chapter that there was no way I could write his scenes without giving him a name and calling him "Scar" when he hadn't even gotten his trademark scar yet was just silly. So I looked around for a suitable substitute name since we never got to know his real name in the manga. Please don't flame me just because you don't like the name I chose._

_Lastly, thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters. I'm so glad to see people are still reading this story. _


	17. Hero of Ishbal

_**A/N: **__My sincerest apologizes for taking so long to update. It's been a really crazy last few months so I had to take a break from writing fanfiction._

_Anyway, I was always a little confused as to why Roy got the title "Hero of Ishbal". Charlie said in the manga that he was a hero because he didn't run away and made sure his subordinates didn't have to die needlessly but if that's all it took to be a hero then shouldn't all the soldiers like Maes, Gran, and even Riza be considered heroes too? They all stayed till the end and killed countless enemies too. What makes Roy different? Anyway, I wanted to address this little issue hence the title for this chapter._

* * *

**Hero of Ishbal:**

Maes swiftly walked around the camp, clutching a piece of paper while he searched for his best friend. He had just received it in the mail and couldn't wait to show Roy.

_He's gonna flip! _He excitedly thought as he weaved through the crowds. After a while, he finally he found him chatting with Riza and Rebecca by a campfire.

"Hey Roy! Guess what?" he exclaimed, tossing the piece of paper onto Roy's lap. "You're famous!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Roy grunted, picking up the piece of paper. He unfolded it and found himself staring at a newspaper clipping with his picture on it. He cursed out loud.

"Gracia just sent it to me," explained Maes as he sat down on the ground next to him. "Apparently, your fancy flame alchemy and that little rescue mission you pulled off last week caught the attention of the media. They're dubbing you the "Hero of Ishbal"."

"Oh? Let me see!" Rebecca snatched the article from his hands and began reading it out loud. "Major Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, singlehandedly fought off an Ishbalan attack and saved a dozen soldiers from certain death last week. With his powerful flame alchemy, the Hero of Ishbal bombarded the enemy with explosion after explosion until they were sent fleeing for their lives. Several soldiers have expressed that they owe their lives to the courageous Major and his flame attacks have been described as being 'like acts of God'. Surely with this amazing alchemy Major Mustang will be able to put an end to this uprising soon and bring our men and women home."

"What a bunch of bullshit," grumbled Roy as he snatched the paper back, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the fire in front of them. "Those reporters should be fired for writing drivel like this! Honestly, if they even bothered to do some fact checking they would know that there were less than a dozen of them and I had members from my squad with me during the entire rescue effort."

"You don't really know how the media works do you, Roy?" said Maes, patting him on the back. "I mean sure it's not completely accurate but to them it sounds better this way. All they really care about is selling papers and what sells papers better than a handsome hero?"

"A photo of a sexy pin up model!" piped a nearby soldier who had been eavesdropping. Several other men laughed out loud and high fived each other. Roy ignored them.

"They can all rot in hell," he mumbled.

"I'm surprised, Roy. I thought you would be honored to be called a hero."

"Real heroes are the men and women who sacrificed themselves in this bloody war. People like Lt. Colonel Whitley or those doctors in the Kanda region who put others before themselves to save lives. Not killers like me."

Maes scratched his head. He never thought that his best friend would be this disgusted at being labeled as a hero. In fact, he was expecting the exact opposite reaction. "Real or not, Amestris could use a hero right now," he finally said. "This war's been going on seven years with no definite signs of ending yet. Morale is down. The public needs some good news for a change and you happened to be the lucky soldier the media decided to focus on. So the newspapers embellished a lit- ok a lot on your accomplishments. It's called propaganda. In a few weeks they'll probably move on to another poor sap so I wouldn't get too upset about it."

Roy groaned and brought his hands up to his face. "I hope you're right, Hughes," he mumbled.

"When have I ever been wrong?"

Roy was about to answer him but another soldier walked up and interrupted them.

"Major Mustang?" asked the soldier. Roy nodded. "I have mail for you."

_Probably another letter from Madame Christmas and the girls,_ Roy thought as he held out his hand. His eyes widened in surprise when the soldier handed him a huge stack of letters instead. "What the-" he stammered.

"Wow…that didn't take long," Maes whistled.

Roy noticed the faint scent of various different perfumes while he sifted through the letters. _Is this…fan mail?_ He thought as he checked the addressers. He didn't recognize any of the names. Maes let out a snicker besides him. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

"N-nothing…" Maes answered while trying to stifle his laughter. "It's just...the look on your face…it was priceless!"

"I'm sure it was," Roy grumbled as he ripped one of the letters open. He couldn't help but make another face while he read its contents. The girl who wrote it was clearly infatuated with him and he couldn't help but feel a little creeped out reading all this talk of eternal love from a complete stranger, especially with Riza sitting next to him.

"What does it say?" she asked, trying to read over his shoulder.

"Nothing interesting," he coughed. "Just a bunch of ramblings on what a great job we're doing," he lied, shoving the letter to the bottom of the pile and picking up another. As expected, the next few letters were the same. "Sheesh…what's with all this excessive adulation?" he mumbled under his breath.

"Nothing wrong with a little hero worship," Maes said with a grin.

"Well if you think it's so good then maybe you can read all of them for me. Maybe even answer some of them," Roy smirked while he dropped the stack onto Maes's lap.

"Me? No way! I already spend all night writing letters to Gracia. I don't have time to be your secretary!"

"And you think I have the time?"

"Probably not. But then fame comes with a price. You're just going to have to suck it up for a bit."

"Screw this! I didn't ask for this."

"Aww…come on, Roy. The Hero of Ishbal isn't supposed to sulk like that."

"I'M NOT A HERO!"

* * *

Riza silently watched while Roy and Maes bickered. Roy was clearly upset with the whole "hero" thing and she couldn't help but wonder if there was anything she could do to help. Maes sure wasn't helping by pushing his buttons though.

_I really should stop this before it gets out of hand though._

She was about to intervene when she felt a small nudge from Rebecca.

"Can you believe it? You're screwing a war hero," Rebecca whispered playfully. Riza pushed her friend.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Rebecca," she chided.

"It's not in the gutter if it's true."

Riza snorted. "Can you at least stop trying to live vicariously through me?"

"Who said I was? I told you months ago that the Major wasn't my type," Rebecca replied while picking her fingernails. "However, you did promise me juicy details when you two finally hook up."

"I never promised that!" Riza protested but Rebecca ignored her. Instead, she leaned over with a big smirk on her face.

"So…be honest. How big is he?"

Riza blushed. "Rebecca!" she yelled, pushing her friend away. Rebecca just laughed. Riza was about to scold her best friend but Roy suddenly stood up and stormed off. Concerned, she also got up. "I gotta go," she muttered.

"W-what? Wait!" Rebecca shouted but Riza ignored her. Instead, she quickly ran to catch up to Roy who was apparently deep in thought. He was clearly fuming and didn't even seem to know she was behind him until he finally stopped a while later.

"What are you doing?" he asked, not bothering to turn around.

"I wanted to make sure you're ok," she answered. He sighed.

"I just want to be alone right now."

"Oh…" She stood there, unsure whether she really should leave him alone or continue following him at a distance. It was clear that he was upset and she was worried he might do something drastic.

"Ah, Major Mustang," called out a voice suddenly. "I've been looking for you." Both Roy and Riza quickly turned and saw an elderly general riding a horse towards them.

"General Grumman," said Roy, saluting. Riza quickly did the same. "What can I do for you, Sir?"

"Nothing. I actually wanted to tell you some good news. Stories of your bravery have reached the brass back in Central and they have decided to award you with the Amestrian Star, our highest medal for bravery. Congratulations!"

Riza noticed Roy stiffen at the news. It was pretty clear he wasn't prepared for the news, especially after what he told Maes earlier.

"I figured you'll be shocked by the news," chuckled Grumman. "It's quite an honor to receive such a reward. Anyway, there will be a small ceremony next week. You should be getting an official letter with more details tomorrow."

"Umm…thank you sir," Roy muttered.

"You better start practicing your acceptance speech," Grumman joked. Then he turned and his eyes rested on her. "And now who's this lovely lady?" he asked.

"Cadet Riza Hawkeye, Sir," she answered. She could've sworn she saw a flicker of recognition in the General's eyes but it disappeared almost as soon as it came.

"Ah. The hawk's eye," he said, stroking his moustache. "I've heard a lot about you. Best sniper the military's ever seen. You're building quite a reputation yourself around here too. I'm just surprised that your beauty isn't as widely praised as your sniping skills."

She blushed. "Thank you, Sir."

"And you're still at the academy? Amazing! We're really fortunate to have someone of your caliber with us." He smiled. "Anyway, keep up the good work you two." He gently kicked his horse and rode off. Riza watched as he disappeared into the camp.

"Something wrong?" Roy asked, walking up to her.

"General Grumman…he looks very familiar."

"Well he is the commander of the entire Eastern area. You've probably seen a photo of him at the academy."

She shook her head. "No, that's not it. There's something very familiar about his smile." She looked back at the general. _Where have I met him before? _She stood there for a while thinking before Roy gently grabbed her hand.

"Let's go," he whispered to her. She nodded and followed him back to his tent. As soon as the tent flap closed behind them he turned and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"You ok?" she asked, hugging him back.

"No," he mumbled into her neck. "I'm frustrated. It's as if no one understands."

"I understand."

Roy sighed and lifted his head up. "You're the only one," he said.

"Talk to me," she said, brushing a stray strand of hair from his eyes. "You don't have to deal with it alone. Not anymore."

He smiled slightly. "I really don't deserve you," he whispered before leaning forward and kissing her. She felt her knees going weak while she returned the kiss with equal fervor. It was moments like this when they could just forget about the war and enjoy the pure bliss of each other's company that made everything worthwhile.

"Riza," Roy said softly, between kisses. "Can I ask a favor from you?"

"Anything," she sighed.

"I want to take another look at your tattoo."

She quickly pulled back.

"What? Why?"

"I just feel like I might have missed something. I want to look over Sensei's research just once more. To make sure."

Riza sighed. "Fine," she said, removing her coat and jacket. She folded them neatly and placed them aside before sitting down on the cot and removing her black turtleneck and bra. When she heard Roy's footsteps approach her she instinctively crossed her arms across her chest just as he sat down behind her. While his fingers gently brushed across her back, memories from the past began flooding back to her. Memories of all those hours they spent together like this, trying to decipher the complex code her father had left on her back. Riza tried not to scoff out loud while she recalled just how young and idealistic - too young and idealistic in her opinion - they were. They were just two youths with grandiose dreams of changing the world. Dreams of protecting their country and its people. Dreams that have been crushed indefinitely in this war. How times have changed. Only four years had passed yet they were now almost completely different people.

_We were too naïve and innocent back then. Now we're paying the price. _

While she waited patiently for Roy to finish, her mind began to wander. Despite everything she did after her father died, his legacy still followed her like a shadow. She was still the keeper of the secrets of flame alchemy; the tattoo on her back was forever her burden to carry. No matter what, she had to prevent the research from falling into the wrong hands. Looking around her, she wondered if it really was a mistake to join the academy. If the military ever found out about her tattoo they would probably strap her to a table and study the tattoo until they finally deciphered it. With the most powerful form of alchemy at their disposal they could create an army of flame alchemists. Her blood ran cold just thinking of the destruction they could cause.

"You ok?" Roy asked suddenly.

Riza blinked. "Hmm?"

"You look upset."

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about something."

"About what?"

"How dangerous it would be if all this research fell into the wrong hands."

"That would be bad," agreed Roy. "Which is why your tattoo will have to remain our little secret," he added before going back to her tattoo.

"I suppose," she answered. Craning her neck, she asked, "Find anything yet?"

He sighed. "No, not yet."

The tent was soon silent again save for the occasional sound of Roy reciting something under his breath. Riza could feel his fingers slowly travel up her back, pausing occasionally while he leaned in to examine the tattoo closer. He had a surprisingly calming touch that she didn't notice before. Closing her eyes, she tried to contemplate how she could ever free herself from the burden of carrying her father's research but she kept getting distracted. Rebecca's comments from earlier kept invading her mind and she found her thoughts wandering south instead.

_Stop that right now, Riza!_ She scolded herself. _Now is not the time!_

At that moment, Roy leaned in to read the inscription at the nape of her neck. Riza held back a gasp as the sensations from his gentle touch and warm breath at such a sensitive location quickly caused her to involuntary shiver.

"Something else bothering you?" Roy asked, sitting up.

"No I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine," she repeated, blushing. "Just please hurry up and finish so I can get dressed again."

Roy was silent for a moment, as if contemplating something. "If you insist," he finally answered before going back to work. His fingers slowly moved back down the tattoo and he began tracing the outline of the transmutation circle, causing her to twitch again. Unfortunately, this time he noticed it.

"You seem to be enjoying this," he smirked.

"Shut up!" she snapped.

Roy chuckled. His fingers slowly traveled back up to the top of her tattoo where it lingered before drifting across her shoulder and down her right arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "I don't have tattoos on my arms."

"I know. I'm just conducting an experiment," he answered.

"So I'm an experiment now too?"

He laughed. "No. You're much more than that." He reached out and grabbed her around the waist before pulling her onto his lap. "Much more," he whispered huskily into her ear, causing her to blush even more.

"So does this mean you're done looking at my tattoo?" she asked before his lips met hers.

"For now. There are other things I much rather look at at the moment."

"Good." She turned her body so she was now facing him. "Rebecca asked me a question earlier about you that I realized I don't have an exact answer to…yet," she said with a playful smirk on her face.

"Oh? What was the question?" Roy asked with a grin.

"You'll see…" she smiled before grabbing his shirt and pulling him down onto the bed with her and into a passionate kiss.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ This chapter was originally going to have a lemon but with FF. net recently cracking down on MA rated stories I decided to not risk it. I'm probably already skirting the line (assuming I haven't already crossed it) with all the graphic violence in the previous chapters. However, if you are interested in reading the uncut and much steamier chapter ending, I've uploaded it offsite. Please see my profile for the link. And please review._

_P.S. FF. net has apparently added covers for stories since I was last here and unfortunately for me, my drawing skills are pretty much non-existent. However, if anyone is interested in drawing a cover for this fic or any of my fics I would greatly appreciate it. Please PM me._


	18. Rumors

** Rumors**

Roy yawned as he slowly opened his eyes, trying to resist the temptation to just roll over and fall back asleep. He could hear voices outside, which meant that it was morning and that it was time to get up. However, his bed was so warm and comfortable that he didn't want to leave. At least not yet. Looking over to his right, he smiled as he gazed at the sleeping form next to him.

_I must have tired her out last night_, he thought with a smirk.

Riza was sleeping on her side facing him, a slight smile on her lips. She looked so peaceful sleeping that Roy couldn't help but grin when she suddenly shifted and snuggled closer to him. It amazed him how perfectly she fit in his arms and how calm he felt whenever she was around. In fact, he honestly couldn't remember the last time he was this content since he was thrown into the annihilation campaign.

Eventually she stirred, slowly opening one eye and looking up at him.

"Good morning," he murmured, giving her a light kiss.

"Good morning," she smiled. "Sleep well?"

"Like a baby," he said, leaning over to nuzzle into her neck. "But then who wouldn't when they have a beautiful woman sleeping next to them?" He heard Riza let out a giggle followed by a soft moan. Grinning, he pushed her onto her back and climbed on top of her while she wrapped her arms around his neck. They gazed lovingly into each other's eyes before she pulled him down for another kiss. Their kiss soon deepened and Roy could feel himself getting hard again as she moved her hips against him.

"Hey Roy! How's the Hero of Ishbal doing this morning?" shouted Maes, popping his head through the tent opening. "Oh…oops," he muttered when he realized what he walked in on.

"Hughes! Have you ever heard of asking if someone's decent before entering?" Roy yelled before he threw the pillow at his best friend's head. Maes narrowly ducked out of the tent before the pillow reached him.

"Sorry! How was I supposed to know you decided to have a late night guest? Besides, you normally sleep with clothes _ON_," he hissed into the crack between the tent flaps.

Roy grunted as he scrambled to throw his clothes on. _Stupid Hughes. He had to poke his head in and ruin everything_. Taking a quick look at the cracked mirror over his wash basin to make sure he was decent, he walked over to Riza who was still half dressed and gave her a quick peck. "We'll finish this later," he whispered in her ear, causing her to blush and nod. Then he pulled back the tent flap and walked outside, making sure to grab Maes by the ear in the process.

"OWW-Let go!" Maes cried as he obediently followed Roy away from the tent. When they were far enough away, Roy finally let go of him. "What did you do that for?" Maes pouted as he rubbed his right ear.

"That's for interrupting me," Roy scowled.

"I didn't do it intentionally. Trust me, the last thing I want to see in the morning is your naked ass."

"Yeah well maybe next time you'll think twice before barging into someone's tent uninvited."

"I didn't 'barge'. I just poked my head in to see if you were awake."

"Whatever," Roy grumbled, throwing up his hands in defeat. It was still too early in the morning to think up a smart response. He needed his morning coffee first. "I'm going to get something to eat," he announced. "You coming?"

"Of course! You know it's a bad idea to fight on an empty stomach." Maes answered, following after him. They silently made their way towards the mess hall before Roy noticed something that made him stop in his tracks.

"Hey! Why did you stop?" began Maes but Roy held up a finger to quiet him. Colonel Gran and Major MacDougal were deep in conversation several meters away and based on their facial expressions Roy could tell it was something serious.

"There's something's going on," he finally whispered.

"Eh? How can you tell?"

"Call it a hunch," Roy answered as he watched MacDougal walked away, a look of frustration etched clearly on the man's face. "I wonder what they were talking about," he mumbled to himself.

"Well why don't we go ask the Colonel?"

"Wait…what?" Roy stammered as Maes grabbed him by the arm and half dragged him over to where Gran stood pondering.

"Good morning, Colonel," Maes saluted as they approached.

"Hmm?" mumbled Gran, looking up. "Oh hello there Major Mustang, Captain Hughes. I didn't see you there."

"We were just heading down to the mess hall for breakfast. Care to join us?"

"I'm afraid not. I have to go talk to General Raven."

"That's too bad," replied Maes, feigning disappointment. "Is there something wrong? We noticed you and Major MacDougal were talking just now."

Gran looked at them in surprise before laughing out loud.

"I thought it was odd that you would approach me out of the blue like that. Be careful where you stick that nose, Captain Hughes. It might get you in trouble one day."

"I'll keep that in mind, Sir," Maes answered with a grin.

"That said…have you heard any odd rumors floating around, Mustang?" he asked Roy.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Roy replied. "Why?"

"Well MacDougal just told me an interesting one," Gran answered, stroking his mustache. "Apparently he believes that a Philosopher's Stone is being used here by the military."

Roy's jaw dropped. "A Philosopher's Stone…here?" he echoed. Gran nodded.

"I didn't believe it either when he first told me."

"Has he actually seen it? I mean does he have proof that it's actually here?"

"I don't know. He just said that he overhead a conversation that made him suspicious so he's been digging around for more clues. He wanted to know if I had seen or heard anything suspicious and I told him I hadn't. I'm guessing from your reaction you haven't seen or heard anything either."

"No, I haven't. But-"

"Hold on a minute," Maes interrupted. "I'm a little lost here. What exactly is a Philosopher's Stone?"

"It's a stone that supposedly has the capability to amplify alchemic transmutation," Roy explained. "It's generally believed to exist only in legend but alchemists have tried for centuries to find it nonetheless."

"So what you're saying is it's a mystical object that can make your flame attacks even more powerful?"

"Yes."

Maes let out a long whistle. "Damn. That's one hell of a stone. Can it bring people back to life too?"

Roy frowned. "Human transmutation is forbidden in alchemy. You know that."

"Just thought I'd ask," said Maes, raising his hands up. "I mean it would be nice knowing I could be resurrected if I happened to die on the battlefield."

"If it was possible we would've resurrected that Ishbalan child seven years ago and avoided this whole civil war in the first place."

"Good point."

"What I'd like to know though," Roy mused, "is, assuming this rumor is true, how did the military get the stone? I highly doubt it was lying in the sand somewhere waiting to be found."

"There are teams of scientists that have been conducting alchemic research in Central since before this war started," answered Gran. "I heard they were on the verge of a very big breakthrough when Doctor Marcoh suddenly disappeared along with some of his research."

Roy looked at the colonel in surprise. "Marcoh left? When?"

"About two months ago. There's a warrant out for his arrest. The military doesn't take too kindly to deserters."

"I see…" Roy muttered under his breath. Memories of his last conversation with Marcoh drifted into his mind. They had talked briefly months ago when he came to the front lines. He vaguely remembered them discussing about being human weapons and killing countless people. But why did he come here in the first place? His eyes widened in shock when he finally remembered.

"Something wrong, Roy?" Maes asked.

"No, it's nothing," he answered, looking up. "Anyway, let's go get breakfast. Thank you, Colonel, for the information." He grabbed Maes by the arm and quickly dragged him away.

"Hey! What's with you all of a sudden?" Maes demanded while trying to wrench his arm out of his grasp. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Marcoh was here a few months ago," Roy said through gritted teeth. "He told me he was delivering something classified."

Maes immediately stopped struggling. "So you think what Gran said was true?"

"I believe so. But what I don't understand is if the military had the stone all these months, why haven't they used it yet? Why continue to drag out this war?"

"I'm sure they have their reasons. Besides, they say the end of the war is near. Maybe we won't need to use it."

Roy shook his head. "I doubt the brass would give up a pristine opportunity to try out a new weapon."

"So what are you so concerned about?"

Roy stopped and stared at his best friend.

"With great power comes great responsibility. If that stone falls into the wrong hands, a lot of people on both sides could be killed."

* * *

Rebecca let out a wide yawn while she did her daily morning stretches. Raising her hands above her head, she reached up as far as she could. _Ahh…that feels good_, she thought when she heard a few joints pop. Next, she bent over and touched her toes with her fingers before following it up with a few lunges and torso twists. When she was finally done, she sat down on the ground and took a drink from her canteen.

_Ugh. Another day, another battle. When will all this end?_

Looking around her, she wondered how many other soldiers shared her feelings. Morale was low here but that was to be expected in a warzone. Living day by day, not knowing if today would be her last. It was amazing she hadn't gone insane yet.

_I guess I just have to tough it out a little longer…_

"Mind if I sit here?" asked a voice out of the blue. Rebecca looked up and saw Havoc standing behind her. She scowled.

"Not at all. I was just leaving," she answered coldly, getting up.

"Oh come on! You aren't still mad at that stupid comment are you?"

"Oh no. I just don't feel like dealing with jerks at the moment," she answered while stuffing her canteen back into her backpack.

"Can't you at least try and get to know me better before labeling me as a jerk?"

"Why should I do that?"

Havoc sighed in defeat before sitting down and began rummaging inside his backpack.  
"Well I was hoping we could make up and be friends but if you insist…" He pulled out a bag and Rebecca noticed it was filled with what looked like beef jerky. "…And here I was ready to offer this as a truce." He shook the bag for emphasis.

Rebecca could feel her mouth water as she watched Havoc open the bag and began eating. She loved beef jerky! It had been months since she last had some and the sweet, yet smoky aroma was starting to make her stomach grumble. _Stop it!_ she berated herself but her stomach began rumbling even louder in protest. It was almost as if her stomach had a mind of its own and was begging her to swallow her pride and accept his apology.

"Ok. Fine. You're right," she huffed before plopping down next to him. "Maybe I was a bit hasty calling you a jerk." Havoc grinned as he handed her the open bag.

"Glad you finally agree."

"Just don't say anything that might make me change my mind again," Rebecca grunted as she pulled out a strip of jerky and bit into it. She groaned in delight as the rich, savory flavor filled her mouth. It had been way too long since she had something this good! Turning to Havoc, she asked, "Where did you get this?"

"Mail," he answered. "My parents own a general store so they often send me care packages full of snacks and stuff."

"Lucky. All I get from my mom is socks, underwear, and occasionally a bag of trail mix or dried fruit."

Havoc chuckled. "Better than nothing."

"That's true," she nodded. Nibbling on another piece, she asked, "So…um…where's your friend…Brad was it?"

"Breda. He's off on some reconnaissance mission. He'll be back in a few days."

"I see." They continued snacking in silence before Rebecca spoke up again. "A lot of soldiers have been speculating that this campaign will be over soon. How much longer do you think it'll be?"

"Hard to say," answered Havoc. "I mean the Kanda region is almost completely under military control which leaves only the Dahlia region left. A bunch of guys in my squad have been placing bets though on how long this conflict will last."

"Oh? What did you bet?"

"I thought it would end two months ago."

"And when did all this betting start?"

"Less than three months ago."

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "You honestly thought this war would end right after you placed your bet? Not to be rude or anything but that's a pretty stupid guess."

Havoc grinned sheepishly. "What can I say? I'm pretty bad at placing bets."

"Apparently."

"What about you? How much longer do you think we'll be out there?"

"I don't know," she answered, leaning back. "Definitely less than six months but I hope it'll all be over much sooner. I really want to go home."

"I know what you mean," Havoc mumbled while peering into the bag. He held the bag out to her. "Last one."

Rebecca smiled. "Thanks but I'm good. You can have it."

"I'll save it for later then," he said, folding the bag and slipping it back into his backpack. He then pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and put it to his lips.

Rebecca frowned. "You know smoking is bad for your health right?" she chided.

Havoc made a face. "No, really? I had no idea," he said sarcastically.

"If you know why it's bad for you then why the hell are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Bad habits are hard to break," he answered before taking a long drag. Looking over at her, he asked, "Have you ever tried it?"

"Once when I was fifteen. It was disgusting and I smelled like an ashtray afterwards. Never understood the appeal of it, especially out here."

"Well I don't know about all the other soldiers but I find that smoking calms me. There's a lot of anxiety around here so it's just nice to have something relaxing even if it's unhealthy. Plus it makes me look cool."

Rebecca scoffed. "First of all, you don't look cool smoking. And second, there are lots of better ways to calm your nerves that don't result in addiction."

Havoc pouted. "Are you always this blunt?"

"I like to speak my mind."

"Apparently."

"Is it a problem?"

"Not really. Just takes some getting used to. Most women I've met aren't nearly as direct as you."

"I blame it on growing up with two older brothers. I had to learn very early how to stand up for myself."

"I see." Havoc took one last drag before putting out his cigarette in the sand. "Anyway, I better get going. I've got a busy day today," he murmured, looking at his watch. "I'll see you around."

Rebecca watched as he picked up his gear and disappeared into the crowd. She didn't want to admit it but part of her was a little disappointed that he had to leave all of a sudden. She was enjoying their conversation and couldn't believe she almost blew him off again. Contrary to what she originally thought, he was quite nice and she felt a bit ashamed that she was rude to him earlier.

_Too bad he's a smoker though._

She sat there for a little while longer before she noticed the sound of familiar footsteps approaching and then stopping right behind her. Leaning back, she stared up at her best friend. "Hey Riza."

"Good morning, Rebecca," Riza answered, looking back down at her. Rebecca noticed she look a little different this morning.

"Nice walk of shame outfit," she said with a grin.

"What?" Riza yelped before quickly looking down at her clothes. "What are you talking about? This is my uniform!" Rebecca resisted the urge to giggle at her friend's reaction.

"It is," she agreed while slowly standing up, "but there's some minor difference."

Riza placed her hands on her hips. "Oh?"

"Well for starters," began Rebecca as she circled around her, "it's not in its usual pristine condition. The jacket's all wrinkled, your hair is a mess and…" she took a quick sniff, "I detect a faint scent of men's aftershave on your clothes."

"You're making things up," Riza snapped, her cheeks starting to turn red.

"I am," Rebecca admitted cheerfully. "You weren't in your tent this morning so I figured you were probably with Major Mustang. Though you really do have a hicky on your neck."

Riza gasped and quickly covered her neck.

"Relax, it's not that obvious. In fact, it's barely noticeable," Rebecca reassured her. Riza sighed and slowly brought her hand back down.

"I really wish you'd stop doing that."

"Aww…but it's fun!"

"How would you feel if I did that to you?"

"Nice try but I need to have a boyfriend first."

"You could have a one night stand," Riza suggested. "Plenty of single guys around here."

"Do I look like that sort of woman?"

"I'm not sure. You're always full of surprises, Rebecca."

"I'll take that as a compliment, I guess" Rebecca shrugged. Grabbing Riza by the arm, she smirked, "Anyway, we can talk more over breakfast. Plus I believe there are still some questions from last night that require detailed explanations."

"You're incorrigible," Riza muttered, shaking her head and walking off ahead of her.

"Nope, just persistent," Rebecca grinned before chasing after her friend.

* * *

_**A/N: **__I wasn't too happy with this chapter. It started off well but then fizzled at the end. Anyway, the next chapter is very long so it might take a little more time to update._


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